Marine Safety prepares for summer 2020
NAPLES — During the 2019 boating season, the newly-restructured Naples Marine Safety Department clocked 386 hours on the area’s lakes, rivers and ponds. During that time, the marine safety personnel completed 131 marine vessel safety checks. Also, members of the department acted as support during six emergencies in which another agency such as the fire and rescue department or the game warden was responding. Here are some of the water-based violations and activity that was documented by the department this summer. Headway Speed/Wake zone: 44 Invalid registration numbers: 41 Expired registration or failure to register: 24 Ski or tube towing violation: 14 Unsafe operation: 22 Rental agent violation: 16 Speed complaints: 18 Night boating without proper lighting: 18 Milfoil sticker violations: 25 Non emergency boat crash: 1 Disabled Vessels: 4 Paddleboarders in distress: 4 Debris in the water: 8 Fuel/Oil spill: 2
By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer
NAPLES — This was the first summer that Naples Marine Safety had both a real budget and more personnel on the lakes and ponds that have become increasingly crowded.
First off, a paperwork snafu prevented the Naples Marine Safety crew from being able to actually write tickets and impose fines as had been hoped.
“Due to the delayed process in the setup, we were unable to get citations written,” according Naples Harbor Master Shawn Hebert.
Still, it gave the department an opportunity to give warnings, to talk to boaters, and to allow people to get used to seeing them on the water.
Next summer, after this year’s learning curve, the crew will have the authority to write tickets. Also in 2020, the department will have a boat added to its fleet.
Hebert, who has been part of marine safety in come capacity since 2009, appeared before the Naples Board of Selectmen on Oct. 28.
Chairman Jim Grattelo asked, “With all the effort, was the lake safer than it was last year?”
Hebert responded, “Most definitely, we’ve noticed a difference and we haven’t had to write a ticket.”
Prompted by Grattelo’s questions, Hebert then addressed the steps taken when a boater is intoxicated.
“If we stop someone that we question is boating under the influence, we ask them if they have been drinking and if they are voluntarily willing to help us get them to shore,” Hebert said. “Last year, there was a warden that took in someone for a DUI, one of our guys hopped on their boat and took it to shore.”
Hebert confirmed that unless someone volunteers to accept the department’s help to get safely to shore, the boater could drive away.
Grattelo said, “The goal was to have a presence on the lake. The goal was to make it safer. That was accomplished.”
Currently, the department’s boats have been put away into storage.
Next summer, there will be one more boat tied to the town dock.
Because the Naples Fire and Rescue Department purchased a boat from federal service, the department donated its old boat to marine safety. The boat has a couple of inflatable pontoons that are in disrepair.
However, after reaching out to area marinas and business to get it refurbished, two stepped up to keep down the costs. Naples Marina will help transport it; and Sabre Yachts, based in Raymond, is willing to donate fiberglass and paints at no cost, Hebert said.
Another item on Marine Safety’s to-do list has been the moorings.
“We are GPS marking every legal mooring. We haven’t been able to tie illegal mooring to properties yet. Once we finish the GPS, we will be able to,” Hebert said.
Last year, there were 800-plus mooring registrations. This year, 62 of those moorings were not registered. So, Hebert sent out notices encouraging the owners to register their moorings to be legal with the town.
“Now, we only have eight that didn’t register,” he said.
“We are going to work hard over the winter months to update our mooring fee schedule. That haven’t been updated since 1989,” Hebert said.
