Atlanta Boat Show emphasizes safety, education

• There are 319,871 registered boats in the state of Georgia.

• At least 200 exhibitors will be on hand at the boat show.

• More than a dozen safety and fishing seminars will be held throughout the run of the show.

Atlanta Boat Show fast facts

• There are 319,871 registered boats in the state of Georgia.

• At least 200 exhibitors will be on hand at the boat show.

• More than a dozen safety and fishing seminars will be held throughout the run of the show.

The Southeast’s largest boat show docks at the Georgia World Congress Center Thursday through Sunday.

While boat shows are typically about selling and showcasing new sea-going vessels and personal watercraft, the Atlanta Boat Show has always made education and safe boating on metro area lakes a priority, thanks to the Coast Guard and a local boat captain, Dave Crumbley.

Crumbley has operated the Windsong Sailing Academy on Lake Lanier at Holiday and Aqualand Marinas for 28 years, and he has been sharing his knowledge at the boat show for 15 years.

Larry Berryman, show manager of the 2015 Atlanta Boat Show, said it’s because of people like Crumbley that boating in Georgia has become an almost $400 million industry.

The 2015 show has grown 15 percent, Berryman said, and will have new features such as the Robo Surfer and a special Family Night.

“The ongoing momentum for boating has led to not only an increase in quality time on the water for 89 million Americans, but also contributions to the Georgia economy through 6,000 jobs and (increased) sales of boats, engines, trailers and accessories,” he said.

While attendees will be able to walk the show floor and see more than 500 boats, ranging from paddle boats and pontoons to yachts, fishing vessels and powerboats, organizers said part of the boat-buying process is becoming an educated boater.

According to the Georgia Department of Human Resources, 39 percent of all the drownings in Georgia occur in open water, and 48 percent of the open-water victims are teenagers or young adults between 15 and 34 years of age.

Hall County, where Lake Lanier is located, has two drownings per 100,000 people each year.

“Some human choice contributes to every accident,” said Tim Rainey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operations manager for Lake Lanier.

Crumbley said that, along with bad decisions, alcohol is a major factor in boating-related fatalities and drownings, as are inattention and inexperience.

New boaters could gain valuable experience by attending one of Crumbley’s seminars at the boat show.

“We have something for newbies, something for intermediate sailors and also for the very serious senior boaters,” Crumbley said.

Crumbley's free seminars during the show will include an introduction to sailing, celestial navigation, tips on bareboat charters (where no crew or provisions are provided) and hourly sessions on fishing. A list of all the educational seminars taking place at the 2015 boat show can be found at: atlantaboatshow.com/attendees/features/seminars.

Boat show attendees are encouraged to ask questions. More than 200 different exhibitors and members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary will be on hand to enhance your boating experience on Georgia’s lakes and rivers.

“Every year more Georgians are discovering the joys of life on the water. It’s exciting to see the growth of the boat show, the return of familiar faces, and new boating fans,” Berryman said, “whether they’re beginning boaters or have weathered their fair share of waves.”