You may have seen a display at a marina, town office, or boating supply store and wondered what it was all about. The U.S. Coast Guard must assume a vessel found adrift with no one aboard left shore with at least one person in the boat, no matter how large or small the boat might be. Kayaks, canoes, and other “paddlecraft” can be particularly troublesome because many owners have not marked their craft with permanent identification information that would allow a quick call or text to resolve the “missing mariner” issue.

It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to grasp how expensive it can quickly become to have Coast Guard assets trying to find the real, or assumed, occupant(s) of the unmanned vessel.

A practical side of why adding an “If Found” sticker to your paddlecraft is the simple advantage that you would stand a much better chance of ever seeing your vessel again if it’s been carried away by a high tide or come untied from a temporary mooring.

The “If Found” stickers have a heavy-duty waterproof adhesive and should be filled out with a “laundry marker” vs a standard “permanent” marker or other less durable marking method.

If you’d like to get an “If Found” sticker your yourself or a a handful of them for your boating organization, contact the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 2-5 in Boothbay Harbor at this web address: http://www.flotilla25.org.