71 T ranspor tation All small v essels canoes zodiacs e tc should ha v e specifcation plat es stating maximum load recommended size of outboar d mo t or and maximum number s of per sons allo w ed An orange str ip or o ther recommended colour should be placed along the k eel of all small v essels so if o v er turned the y can be more easily de t ect ed fr om the air No tifcation of abandoned or empty v essels foating on the sur f ace of the w at er should be made immediat ely t o the R CMP T he use of unpo w ered canoes less than 55 me tres in length be a v oided and that pref erence be giv en t o the use of infatable or o ther more stable craf t of the size req uired f or the operation PFDs should p r o vide the best insulation a v ailable and the size of the PFDs should be specifc t o occupants A dequat e commun ication should be maintained with a base cam p containing a suppor t craf t manned with the req uired operating per sonnel All eq u ipment is in good w or king condition despit e ha ving a bailer a small leak in the boat ma y become a signifcant pr oblem A t ra v el plan that includes a pho t odiagram of y our boat destination r out e and time of re turn is lef t with someone responsible This ma y be instrumental should y ou ge t dela y ed due t o eq uipment f ailure w eather conditions or injur y Y ou monit or the w eat her repor ts w ell in adv ance of y our depar ture t o ensure good w eather Obser v e w at er conditions bef ore se tting out ie tides currents w at er le v els e tc Y o u le arn ba sic na vigatio n and saf e ty skills ie swif tw at e r training Y ou are alw a ys a w are o f per sonal limitations The AME BC Health Saf e ty Committ ee str ongly recommends that radio telephone or satellite telephone repair kit tools for outboard motor shear pins operating manual patching eq uipment spare fuel and lubricants