MIKE BRAUN Vessel checks promote safety

A series of free boat examinations will be offered at a number of lakes throughout Ohio this month to promote safety on the water.
These examinations, termed vessel safety checks, are in observation of National Safe Boating Week that runs from Saturday to May 24, but the hope is that boaters will take the information provided to heart and be safer recreational boaters year round.
Participating units
The Ohio Division of Watercraft, local units of the U.S. Power Squadrons, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and local marine patrols are expected to participate in the free checks.
Members of the local Coast Guard Auxiliary will be at Lake Milton on May 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and at Berlin Reservoir on May 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Funding for boating safety and enforcement activities was recently announced for local marine patrols staffed mainly by local law enforcement offices. However, some of these units won't be able to get up and running until after Memorial Day because of time constraints and other issues. However, Deputy Tom DeGenova of the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department marine patrol unit said the department's patrols will provide inspections all summer when they are up and running.
"We are mainly concerned with [boater's] safety. This is a good community activity and promotes continuity. It shows the boating public that the patrols are there if needed," he said.
"We are not out there to get people," DeGenova added. "That's not the purpose of this type of law enforcement."
The units that conduct the vessel checks will also be handing out a special decal for those boat that pass the inspection.
Ohio was one of the first states to join the nationwide vessel check program in 2002. Part of that involvement is the right to distribute the special vessel-check decal that denotes the craft in question has been checked and found to be in good shape with the proper safety equipment in working order.
Ohio is among the top states when it comes to recreational boating. Ranked eighth nationally, registered Buckeye boaters number 416,000 with more than 3 million Ohioans enjoying boating and contributing $1.5 billion to the Ohio recreation and tourism economy annually.
Courtesy checks
The vessel safety checks are provided as a courtesy by concerned boaters who are members of the U.S. Power Squadrons or the Coast Guard Auxiliary. These groups are strictly lay organizations with no law enforcement power.
Organized in 1914, the USPS is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to making boating safer by teaching seamanship, navigation and related subjects. The organization has some 60,000 members organized into 450 squadrons across the country and in some U.S. territories.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary was established by Congress in 1939 to assist the Coast Guard in promoting boating safety. It has more than 35,000 members who get special training so they may be a functional part of Coast Guard Forces. Members assist in non-law enforcement programs such as public education, vessel safety checks, safety patrols, search and rescue, maritime security and environmental protection.
"Some people get nervous when we approach and offer a vessel check. [But] we're not a law enforcement unit," said Ray Calzo, a member of the local Coast Guard Auxiliary. "We actually can save people money."
Calzo said that if boaters fail to correct problems spotted in a vessel check and are later stopped by the U.S Coast Guard, a sheriff's department marine patrol or Ohio Division of Watercraft officers, a hefty fine could ensue for any safety violations.
Safety check locations
In Northeast Ohio, vessel safety checks will be made at the following dates, times and locations:
Saturday: 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Geneva State Park; 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Lake Metro Parks Beach, Fairport Harbor; 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Lake Erie, E. 55th St. Marina in Cleveland.
Saturday and May 18: 10 a.m.-noon, Portage Lakes State Park New Ramp; 10 a.m.-noon, West Branch Reservoir, West Ramp; 10 a.m.-noon, Lake Milton, Jersey Street Ramp; 10 a.m.-noon, Mosquito Creek Lake, Marina Ramp; 10 a.m.-noon, Berlin Reservoir, Bonner Road Ramp.
May 18: 10-11 a.m., Atwood Lake, West Boat Ramp.
May 19-23: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., U.S. Coast Guard Station Lorain and Lorain Lakeside Launch (Eastside Ramp).
May 21 and 23: 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Lorain Hot Waters Launch Ramp.
May 24 and 25: 10 a.m.-noon, Portage Lakes State Park New Ramp; 10 a.m.-noon, West Branch Reservoir, West Ramp; 10 a.m.-noon, Lake Milton, Jersey Street Ramp; 10 a.m.-noon, Mosquito Creek Lake, Marina Ramp; 10 a.m.-noon, Berlin Reservoir, Bonner Road Ramp.
May 24: 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Ashtabula Recreation Unlimited Marina; 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Jack's Marina, Ashtabula River, Ashtabula; 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Rocky River Launch Ramps.
May 31: 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Mosquito Creek Lake; 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Rocky River Launch Ramps; 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Huron Lagoons Marina.
June 1: 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Mosquito Creek Lake.
braun@vindy.com