Coast Guard officials in Maine are asking canoe and kayak owners to clearly label their boats with contact information to help crews responding to reports of adrift boats.
As the summer season ramps up, so do the number of calls that the Coast Guard, Maine game wardens, marine patrol officers and other law enforcement agency receive about adrift or unattended canoes and kayaks. Petty Officer Matthew Strickland of Coast Guard Sector Northern New England said they had received several such reports before noon on the busy and sunny Independence Day holiday.
“It’s about two hours worth of work when we get a report of an adrift kayak,” Strickland said.
Strickland asked that kayak, canoe or other boat owners write their name, telephone number or other contact information on a card or other label that is easily visible to individuals pulling up alongside in a boat. That can help the Coast Guard or other responders quickly determine whether the boat simply drifted away or if they should be on the look-out for a missing boater as well.
During the extended holiday weekend, the Coast Guard, Maine Marine Patrol, Maine Warden Service and other agencies in the state are also participating in the national “Operation Dry Water” campaign focused on addressing impaired boating.
Officers will be conducting patrols all along the Maine coast looking for boaters under the influence of drugs or alcohol and raising awareness about the dangers of impaired boating.
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