SOUTHWEST HARBOR – Before you rev up that boat engine and hit the waves, take a few minutes to make sure you have everything you need.

Those few minutes could easily save your life, maritime officials said Thursday as another recreational boating season gets under way.

“Maine coastal waters are unforgiving in many ways,” said Ensign John Hanley, spokesman for U.S. Coast Guard Group Southwest Harbor. “The waters are dangerously cold year-round, the tidal range is huge, and there are countless ledges.

“Boaters in this region should go out of their way to ensure they are safe,” Hanley said in a prepared statement.

According to Hanley, 85 percent of the people who drowned in the United States in 2002 were not wearing safety jackets.

“Put another way, up to 440 lives could have been saved if life jackets had been worn,” Hanley said.

Capsizing and falls overboard are the most common reasons for fatal boating accidents, he said. Some 80 percent of all reported fatalities occurred on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction, and alcohol was involved in nearly 40 percent of the 2002 fatalities, a 5 percent increase over 2001, Hanley said.

Lt. Alan Talbot of the Maine Marine Patrol in Lamoine agreed that simple precautions can prevent boating deaths and injuries.

Talbot and Hanley both listed life jackets as the No. 1 safety tool for boaters – and they weren’t talking about keeping them in the vessel and then trying to find them and put them on after an accident or other emergency.

Other simple precautions include:

. Enrolling in a boat safety course.

. Never boating while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

. Getting a vessel safety check from the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Talbot also urged boaters never to leave for an outing without telling someone where they’re going and their expected return time.

“So if you don’t show up, someone knows they should be looking for you,” Talbot said.

According to Hanley, all boaters should carry basic equipment so they can call for help in an emergency, including a compass, map, flares, a cell phone or even a hand-held VHF radio.

Hanley invites members of the public to call him for more information. He can be reached at 244-4232. Chief Warrant Officer Barry Cates can be contacted at 244-4234 to arrange for a vessel safety check.