The beautiful weather of the past few days has resulted in a lot of pleasure boating in our country. The sailing season starts around the same time every year. The sailing season generally starts between April 1 and the end of October. According to the website varendoejesamen, there are approximately 500.000 recreational craft in use in the Netherlands. A large part of this uses the national waterways, such as major rivers, canals and other bodies of water. Safety of pleasure craft is therefore an important point of attention for Rijkswaterstaat. When the weather is nice, it gets busy on the water again. Sailing with a small ship between large commercial vessels can cause exciting and sometimes unsafe situations.

5 tips to use the larger rivers, waters and canals safely and with pleasure as a recreational skipper:

• Keep starboard bank, it is important to sail to the right as much as possible. This allows ships to pass each other safely. 
• Ensure all-round visibility, avoid obstacles such as sails and masts, keep windows of the wheelhouse clear and also ensure that fellow passengers do not block the view.
• Avoid the blind spot, do not sail too close in front of (large) ships and regularly look to the side and behind. The blind spot of an inland vessel can sometimes be up to 350 m long! 
• Get on the water prepared, what's the weather like? Are there planned or unplanned disruptions? At what times are the locks and bridges operated?
• Know the sailing rules, also make sure you know what buoys, signs and signs mean. Our mobile traffic controllers provide information and warnings, but also enforce when necessary.