The official U.S. Coast Guard app gives you 24/7 access to the most commonly requested information and resources for the recreational boating public. http://uscgboating.org/mobile/ With the U.S. Coast Guard app, you can: - Identify the boating safety laws, requirements and resources available in your home state, the state where you keep your vessel or the state where you are planning to operate. - Request a vessel safety check from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. - Determine what safety equipment you are required to carry by law based on the size and type of vessel you are operating. The app also recommends additional safety equipment you might want to consider. - File a float plan with up to three friends, loved ones or other responsible parties. While you cannot file a float plan directly with the Coast Guard, the app helps you develop a float plan that will allow your responsible party to provide search and rescue coordinators with important information they can use to facilitate a missing or overdue boater case. - Review the most commonly sought out navigational “rules of the road.” - Access weather information from the closest NOAA buoy to your current location. - Report a navigational hazard to the Coast Guard – this could be a buoy or marker out of place, a sunken vessel or some other obstacle obstructing safe passage of a Federal waterway. - Report pollution to the Coast Guard – from a minor oil sheen at the dock to a major pollution event, you can help protect our marine environment. - Report suspicious activity to the Coast Guard – if you see something, say something! We all have a shared responsibility for homeland security. While the U.S. Coast Guard app will help you better prepare for your time on the water and may help you contact the Coast Guard in an emergency, it is not a replacement for a VHF-FM marine radio, EPIRB, safe boating classes and common sense. Learn more about being a responsible boater at http://www.uscgboating.org/. The U.S. Coast Guard app is a self-contained mobile application that resides solely on your mobile device. Information about yourself, your vessel and your current or past locations is only shared with the Coast Guard when you choose to do so.