Memorial Day 2017: Don’t Make These 5 Stupid Lakes Mistakes

The lake and a cold adult beverage go together like sand and a pail. But if you’re out boating this Memorial Day Weekend, don’t wreck your fun, possibly your boat and potentially the lives of people around you with drunken boating.

The penalty is the same as for drunken drivers. So if you’re drinking, it’s as simple as this: Don’t operate a boat. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Detroit Patch, click here to find your local Michigan Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Here’s a list, in no particular order of stupidity, of some of the things you shouldn’t do while boating:

1. It’s plain-down stupid to be operating a boat while drunk. It’s also against the law in Michigan. The law lowers the blood alcohol content limit for watercraft operators from 0.1 percent to 0.08 percent, similar to the limit for automobile drivers.

2. Also stupid: Firing up a joint while boating, or using any Schedule I drug, is against the law, the same as it is for motorists. And if anyone under the age of 16 is on the boat while this stupid behavior occurs, prepare to pay the man more.

3. People under 21 operating a boat with any alcohol or drugs in their systems whatsoever — or to do anything with any alcohol in their bodies? Stupid. It’s against the law.

4. It’s really stupid not to wear a life vest. Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death in boating accidents, and of all drowning deaths reported to the U.S. Coast Guard in 2013, 84 percent were not wearing a floatation device. Under Michigan law, all boats must carry a floatation device for every passenger.

5. And it’s stupid in that slap-your-forehead way not to renew your boat and watercraft registrations before you head out for the Memorial Day Weekend. The Michigan Secretary of State’s Office offers online registration at www.ExpressSOS.com. The Recreation Passport, which is available for $11 when renewing a vehicle plate, provides boaters with access to any of the boat launches found in state parks across Michigan.

There are some precautions boaters can take to lessen the likelihood of accidental stupidity on the water, according to the Coast Guard, including:

• Take extra precaution near boats towing skiers or tubers.
• Never reverse the boat to pick up someone out of the water but instead circle around to the person.
• Examine the boat’s stern to make certain no one is near the propeller before the engine is started.
• Be especially alert when operating in congested areas and never enter swimming zones.
• Don’t allow passengers to ride on the bow, transom, seatbacks or other locations where they might fall overboard.
• Stop immediately if someone falls overboard and slowly turn the boat around while keeping the person in sight as you approach.
• Learn to recognize scuba diver markers.

Photo: If you’re boating, make sure you’re wearing a life jacket. (Brendon Morgan via Flickr Commons)