POLK CITY, Iowa — The unofficial start to summer was music to the ears of boaters at the Saylorville Lake Marina. The lake was packed with Iowans getting out on the water for Memorial Day weekend.
"Oh, yeah, we're serious about it. We know we only get about 17 weeks a year and you can't pass this weather up," said Devon Hawbaker, a boater at Saylorville Lake.
But there's still a few things to remember while you're getting packed up for the lake. First of all, a boat has to have enough lifejackets for everyone onboard, and kids 12 and under have to keep theirs on all the time.
"Everybody's always safe, DNR's out here, they just make sure everybody's safe. I mean, most of the rental boats go out, they all got life jackets and stuff like that. We're required to have them on our boats. But the atmosphere out here, it's amazing," said boater Bob Coffey.
And another thing — while many of us enjoy having a few drinks on the water, whoever's driving the boat has to be sober. Anyone who's found guilty of operating a boat while under the influence can be fined up to $1,000 for a first offense, and they can also lose their boating license for up to a year.
According to the Iowa DNR, there were 28 reported boating incidents in 2022. Of that total, 17 involved property damage, seven caused personal injuries, and four resulted in fatalities.
Fortunately, boaters said that Memorial Day Weekend has been smooth sailing so far.
"Everybody's been very responsible, and that's one of the things we noticed. There's a lot of courtesy out there, and especially when you try to get into the marina [...] everybody takes a turn," Hawbaker said.
The DNR said you should have someone designated to be on the lookout for debris in the water that can do major damage to your boat.