Many of us unwittingly know a few words of Samuel Coleridge's epic poetic story, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The words that are often quoted, though their source is seldom acknowledged, refer to being far away on the briny ocean tossed and go like this: water, water everywhere, ne any drop to drink.

This past May, Coast Guard surface and air crews conducted an all-night search of the Great Peconic Bay area of Long Island, NY, for a possible missing kite surfer after gear was found floating in the water. The search was suspended after news reports prompted the owner to call to say he was safe. Coast Guard patrols often encounter abandoned and adrift boats and gear. If there is even a small chance a person is in the water, the Coast Guard undertakes search and rescue efforts. If you should find yourself in trouble, here are five actions you can take to increase the chances Search and Rescue will get to you in time.

Most of us who are beyond our teens or early twenties, will pick up a cell phone and marvel at its capability to do what we saw as futuristic science-fiction only a few of decades ago. This palm size unit can be used to send text messages, take pictures, play music, store data, possibly be a GPS and even make a phone call. This incredible technology can easily transfer to the boat and along with other “doohickeys”, be integrated into one impressive computerized navigation, communication and operations system that runs the whole show.

Have you ever searched the web for a simple answer to how many visual distress signals you need to meet the minimum safety requirements for your boat? Or perhaps you already know the number of flares you need, but really would like to know how to dispose of them after they expire. It could be as simple as equipping your kayak with the proper required safety equipment, but instead of settling on one, easy to navigate site through a simple search, you find yourself in a mess of web pages with answers to thousands of boating safety questions except the one you are looking for? Well you aren’t alone. As you may or may not know, half of Canadians go boating at least once a year, many more often.

The canoe. Now that's Canadian. They have been part of the landscape from since native North Americans plied the waterways to now being one of the most economical and accessible ways to get out on the water and explore. They seem simple enough – grab a paddle and go. Eagerly purchased, usually incompletely outfitted and almost never really understood or mastered. After a season or two, many a forgotten canoe can be found behind garage's, under porches at cottages or at the boat ramp, gathering critter droppings and moss. But every once and a while a desire to get out on the water arises and someone remembers the Canadian icon, ignominiously hidden away. They haul it out, grab a paddle and go.

A great aspect of boating is getting away from it all. However, in this day and age of digital connectivity and the fixation of instant gratification, leaving it all behind at the dock is a challenge. How many of us are addicted to that cell phone, Blackberry and GPS unit so that we stay connected to what’s going on out there?