Coast Guard Station Portage encourages UP community to exercise safety this summer during National Safe Boating Week

DOLLAR BAY, Mich. (WLUC) - Friday marks the final day of National Safe Boating Week.

Members of Coast Guard Station Portage want the U.P’s community to always keep safety in mind while enjoying the water.

“Wearing a jacket, being prepared, knowing the capabilities of your vessel, abstaining from alcohol while you’re underway,” Coast Guard Station Portage Operations Petty Officer Jacob Lovell said. “And getting your vessel checked by the Coast Guard or Coast Guard Auxiliary.”

According to Lovell, one common cause of accidents is boaters not taking into account their boat’s limits.

“They take it out onto the big lake, and they don’t know the capabilities of their vessel,” Lovell said. “And the weather can change in an instant, going from a calm one to two feet to five or six feet in a matter of minutes.”

The station’s officer in charge says making sure you are prepared can also be the difference between life and death in an emergency especially when it could take hours for help to reach you.

“We range all the way from Ontonagon to Huron Islands and up to Ilse Royale, so in some parts of our area of responsibility, it can take upwards of three to four hours to respond,” said Coast Guard Station Portage Officer in Charge & Chief Bosun’s Mate Maria Collett.

However, the station is preparing to make a change to help decrease that response time.

“Coast Guard Station Portage recently implemented a new vessel,” Collett said. “The response boat medium will be replacing the motor lifeboat here within the next month. That’s going to increase our response capability and allow us to reach the outer edges of our area of responsibility in a timely manner.”

To keep up to date on safety tips from the Coast Guard, you can check out the Coast Guard’s official boating safety page or check out Station Portage’s Facebook page.