Last week a Massachusetts woman was arraigned in Hillsboro Superior Court on charges of felony reckless conduct and aggravated boating while intoxicated. This past summer, it is alleged that Pena was on Long Pond in Pelham, New Hampshire operating a vessel with another passenger when she sped into another boat, that was floating causing three people to jump overboard to avoid injury.

In another incident this past summer, on Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire a teen from Massachusetts was charged with boating while intoxicated after crashing the boat into shore near Lake Sunapee Yacht Club.

These two incidents remind all boaters to practice safe boating.  That means maintaining a proper lookout and designating a sober person when operating a personal watercraft. In addition, the  following is a list of things to consider and prepare:

• Having emergency contact numbers, making an itinerary, telling family and friends your plans
• Flares, air horns, battery-powered radios, charged cell phone
• Life jackets, ropes and anchors, paddles, additional floatation devices
• Full tanks of gasoline, extra bottles of water, first aid kit, sunscreen and protective wear
• Prohibiting alcohol as boating under the influence decreases the operators’ and/or passengers’ ability to make sound judgments and negatively affects ability to respond in a situation
• No overloading watercraft
• Only operators with boating instructions, education, experience and/or knowledge
• Abide by local waterway rules, buoys and markers and take extra caution in no-wake zones or due to increased vessel traffic
• Avoid excessive speed, unsafe turns and unsafe operations and conditions
• Keep a weather eye as weather conditions can change intravenously. The National Weather Service broadcasts forecasts regularly.  On VHF-FM Marine radios forecast is heard on channels one through five or check NWS website at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/.

Keeping the above in mind will help continue to promote safe boating for all to enjoy their time on the water.