Now that we’ve passed to this side of Memorial Day, I don’t think that anyone would disagree that boating season is officially here. Whether you’re into skiing, boarding or just hanging out on the lake, there are some things to remember to make sure everyone has a good time. Even aside from all the stuff that’s required.

First one is sunscreen. I fully agree that getting a tan is one of the perks of playing on the boat, but with all the time you’ll be spending out there, it’s best to take some precautions to reduce your exposure. You remember that day last summer that you forgot to put sunscreen on and got burned really badly? Good times, right? Also, skin cancer isn’t fun. I’ll leave it to you what kind and how strong your sunscreen is, but you definitely need some. Last summer, we tried out some Bullfrog gel that was pretty cool because it rubbed right in, but it flaked off later in kind of a strange way that made me a little nervous. This summer, we’ll be trying a Coppertone spray.

Second is snacks. You’re going to need something to fuel your time on the water, and I’m not talking the gas in the boat. I’m a big fan of dry roasted peanuts, juice, and a ham sandwich or two. If you ski anything like I do, you’ll end up drinking a lot of lake water, but you’ll want to have some on the boat, say, in a container of some kind. It would be ironic and sad if you got dehydrated at the lake.

Third, you’ll need something to cover up with. The shade on the boat does a good job of keeping the sun from beating down on you, but the light also reflects off the water. It’s a good idea to take a shirt or a towel to throw over you or something else to keep yourself from getting all tired out by just being exposed to the elements. It’s also nice to have in case you’re out longer than you’d planned and it gets a little chilly. I like to keep a few sweatshirts around for this very reason.

I’m sure there are more that I’m not coming up with at the moment, so what kinds of things do you not launch without? Let us know in the comments!

I remember the very first time I ever tried waterskiing. We were at Bear Lake playing on my uncle’s boat. (A snazzy gold and metallic olive green beauty.) I got all kinds of instructions–keep the rope between your knees, hand signals for faster and slower, how to get up, don’t cross your skis, don’t hold your breath, the fish won’t nibble your tushie while you’re sitting in the water, etc. The one piece of vital information no one thought to give me? If your skis fall off, let go of the rope. I’m going to paint myself in a good light here and say that my family all thought I had enough common sense (I was eight) to figure this out for myself. I didn’t.

So there I was, ski-less, being dragged behind a boat, quasi-drowning. Not the makings of a great memory. After I finally let go of the rope and the boat came back around to me, my aunt informed me that there was a 3-tries-before-you’re-allowed-back-in-the-boat rule. I seriously considered swimming to shore. (For the record, I’ve never seen her enforce this rule with anyone else.) I tried two more times, and each time I got closer, but then I was adamantly finished. My aunt tried every bribe in the book to get me to try a fourth time (including a Squeeze-It drink. Remember those?) but no go. I was not skiing again–ever.

I did eventually try again, four years later. And I’ve been skiing ever since. This summer I’m hoping to get my little four-year-old up on skis. I’m open to advice but there is one rule that cannot be broken: when she says she wants to get back in the boat, she gets back in.