Jeff Schear/Getty Images
Jeff Schear/Getty Images
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Boaters should enjoy their time on the water, being smart and playing safely while on it.

Grand Valley Marine, with locations in Grandville and Grand Haven, urges you to be smart while out boating, regardless of whether you're on an inland lake, river, stream, pond, rapids, creek, whitewater course or one of the Great Lakes like Lake Michigan.

Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
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Here's some general boating tips as reminders from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources:

  • Always wear your life jacket.
  • Never sit on the gunwale (sides) of a boat while in motion.
  • Do not ride on the bow decking of a boat while in motion.
  • Never tow a skier or tuber without an observer.
  • Pay attention to marker buoys and idle zone restricted areas.
  • For those who are age 21 years old and older, consume alcoholic beverages in moderation (0.08 percent blood-alcohol content is the legal limit in Michigan). If you are younger than the legal age to drink, another reminder: It's illegal; don't drink.
  • Use navigational lights and anchor lights between sunset and sunrise.
  • Obey the speed limit on all inland lakes and waterways.

While August has arrived, there's still plenty of boating to be done. Summer ain't even close to being over.

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