Rhode Island boaters remind of safety tips among heat wave

PORTSMOUTH, RI (WLNE) — Following a tragic week involving swimmer related accidents in the water, boaters are also taking this time to talk about warnings when on board.

Just last week in Plymouth, Massachusetts, a couple was ejected from a rental boat and didn’t attach to the kill switch, which can result in an extremely dangerous situation.

“The boat goes into what’s known as a death spin where it’s still in gear and it’s just spinning circles until it either runs out of fuel or you arrest the boat,” RAMSEY CHASON, the owner of Sea Tow Rhode Island said.

Not only are ejections dangerous, but boaters have noticed other common occurrences in our waters too.

“We saw a couple of boats run aground and stuff like that, you know they ran into lobster pods, it’s just not paying attention,” John Lynch, a Rhode Island boat owner, told ABC6.

That’s the main tip coming from the owner from of sea tow, which is a business that serves as a kind of a AAA for boaters in the water, that people just need to pay attention.

“Just from there being so many boaters on the water and distraction whether it’s looking at your phone to text friends or making a Tik Tok video of the people on your boat, you really want to have someone at the helm who’s focused on operating the boat and is not distracted,” Chason said.

And they always say it’s important to respect the other boats on the water too.

“Ton of sail boats down here oh my god, it’s unbelievable, you know they’re crossing back and forth and everything else so you just have to be aware of what’s going on,” Lynch added.

Making sure you’re not hitting rocks or shallow water is important too to avoid wrecking your boat, or going overboard.

“The applications that you can get on a smart phone or a tablet today are so much better than the gps units that I had on boats when I started,” Chason said.

Aside from paying attention to your surroundings, it’s also important to remember how the laws of drinking and driving still apply to the water as well, and designating a sober skipper is never a bad idea.