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Boating safety on the water for Labor Day weekend

Posted at 10:41 PM, Aug 31, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-31 22:54:55-04
Spring Lake, Mich. -- During the Labor Day holiday weekend many Michiganders will be celebrating on the water. Taking a boat out can be a great way to enjoy some of the final days of summer and to make sure people are celebrating responsibly authorities are stepping up their marine patrols.

“We want to encourage all boaters to not drink and boat this weekend. So if you plan on operating a boat please don’t drink or have a sober boater out there for the weekend so they can get you around and get you around safely, "says marine deputy with the Ottawa County Sheriff's office, Ryan Cummins.

Deputy Cummins says they want people to have a good time on the water but to have fun responsibly.

“We like to have some drinks and listen to some music but we definitely do it responsibly. You know there’s a lot of Coast Guard and Sheriff’s deputies out here so they make sure we do that too. So we definitely do it responsibly," says Jason Schipper an avid boater.

A few other safety points to remember while out on the water is to always wear a life jacket and make sure children under the age of 6 have the ones with the head pillows on the back. Boaters need to also be watchful for tubers and those on water skis.