America’s Boating Club of Central Indiana is celebrating Safe Boating Week in a way that all can enjoy. The club will conduct a Safe Boating Week kickoff event from noon to 4 p.m. May 22 at Geist Marina, 11695 Fall Creek Rd., Indianapolis.
National Safe Boating Week is May 21 to May 27. The America’s Boating Club of Central Indiana event will provide free boat safety checks, a boating skills virtual trainer, access to the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and family friendly learning activities.
Club administrative officer Chris Ferris said the club promotes boating safety. She said the boating checks at the event won’t penalize boaters if they have a deficiency. Rather, the group will make suggestions on correcting the issue. When boaters pass the safety check, they receive a “safe boat” decal to display on their windshield.
Ferris said the boating skills virtual trainer is an excellent activity for people to sharpen their boating skills or learn skills if they are new to boating.
“It’s like driving a boat on the computer, and it shows you how to depart the dock, do turns and dock,” she said. “There are a lot of reports from the DNR that when people buy boats, they have limited or no boating skills. That’s what our club is all about, to provide skills to people.”
For more, visit hoosierusps.org.
