Retired Coastie continues to rescues boaters with his pen

Retired Coast Guard Senior Chief Tom Rau has conducted hundreds of search and rescue cases over his 27-year Coast Guard career. He feels blessed to have had the opportunity to rescue boaters.

He feels even more blessed that he still has the opportunity to process search and rescue; however, rather than rescuing boaters upon the water he rescues them with his pen.

During 1986, while assigned to Coast Guard Station Manistee, Michigan, Rau began writing about search and rescue cases for a local town newspaper. "I would often witness less than smart boating behavior that I would write about in the Manistee News Advocate, hoping others would learn from these mishaps," said Rau.

His rescue stories evolved into a syndicated column called Boat Smart that now runs in a score of Midwest newspapers and magazines, reaching over a million readers. His Boat Smart website annually receives over100,000 hits; two Coast Guard commandants have personally awarded him citations for the column.

The column, which is in its fourteenth season, is written in conjunction with Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan and is edited by Commander Tracy Wannamaker, Chief of Response for Lake Michigan search and rescue resources. "She's been a real asset to the column as have been so many Coast Guard team sources that are far too many to list," said Rau, who has never received a penny for the column.

The hundreds of columns Rau wrote over the years is the basis of his new book published by Seaworthy Publications, titled "Boat Smart Chronicles, Lake Michigan Devours Its Wounded."

The book, loaded with documented rescue stories, is rich with valuable lessons learned and is a real eye opener regarding recreational boater safety issues. The book's many boating mishap stories provide a strong argument for mandatory boating education. Rau, who has been teaching Coast Guard auxiliary classes for over 15 years, believes the book's many rescue stories strongly reinforce the many safety issues addressed in boating safety classes.

"I just can't say enough about the wonderful efforts so many volunteers like the Coast Guard Auxiliary, United States Power Squadron and public safety agencies do in spreading the boat-smart message through boating safety courses and vessel safety checks. The book will definitely help them with those efforts," said Rau.

The book has been hailed by leading maritime officials. Retired Vice Admiral Jim Hull said: "As former Coast Guard Ninth District and Atlantic Area Commander, I often received reports of avoidable deaths and injuries on the water. I urge that anyone young or old, experienced or novice who lives or plays on or near the water to take this book to heart. It's an ounce of prevention that could well save your life."

Books available at: www.boatsmart.net, www.seaworthy.com, www.amazon.com, or through local bookstores, book distributors: Partners, Michigan, Ingram Book Group. Book released August, 2006.