The U.S. Coast Guard is kicking of its annual campaign to crack down on drinking on the water. Drinking and driving on the water is something that will not be tolerated on Michigan lakes and this weekend the coast guard is making the effort a priority..
"It's something we do every weekend when we go out already, but this weekend you are going to see more of an emphasis on specifically looking for boats that are possibly operating under the influence," Andy Burns of the Coast Guard said.
Boating is one of Michigan's favorite summer activities and the Coast Guard says that people need to understand the dangers of operating their boats under the influence.
"People need to be aware of when they are driving boats that its just as dangerous to drive a boat under the influence as it is to drive a car and when they are going out onto the water to drink and have a good time, they need to have a designated driver," Burns said.
Boater Tony Blumka says these boats in the Charlevoix Marina are quite large and he says driving such a massive boat under the influence could be bad for everyone.
"You're behind tons of tons of poundage and theres no break on a boat and there are lots of canoers and lots of small sail boats and things happen," Blumka explained.
The Coast Guard says if caught operating a boat under the influence you can be charged at both the federal and state level.
