How to stay safe boating in the Great Lakes
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Every summer, experts issue water precautions — wear a life jacket, don't drink and drive, "flip, float and follow" if you fall in — but some boaters underestimate the power of Lake Michigan and think staying near Chicago's coastline makes them immune to drowning.
Reality check: Lake Michigan is a beast. "Think of it as an ocean rather than a lake," Boat Safe Chicago master captain Brady Ruel said.
The latest: Two people died last month near Navy Pier as high winds made boating extra precarious.
By the numbers: 29 people have drowned in the Great Lakes so far this year, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
- 15 of those were in Lake Michigan.
Boating safety rules: In Illinois, kids as young as 10 can operate a boat, but it has to have low horsepower and they must be accompanied by an adult.
- Anyone born before 1998 is not required to have a boating safety certificate to operate a motorboat with more than 10 horsepower in Illinois, but they are encouraged to take a boating safety course.
- A bill awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker's signature would make a boating safety certificate a requirement for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1998, operating a boat with an electric motor with over 10 horsepower.
Zoom in: Illinois offers free in-person boating courses, but none are currently available in Cook County. Courses were offered in April and June to gear up for the boating season.
- Online courses are available through private organizations like Boat Ed and Boater Exam.
- No Chicago schools offer boating safety courses, according to Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Hunter Nikolai.
- But Nikolai says the department is always looking for local schools that want to offer the training.
Zoom out: Some students in other Great Lakes states, like Michigan, have received boating safety education in K-12 schools.
The bottom line: Make sure everyone on the boat is up to speed on safety, or better yet, take a class.