With summer just around the corner, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is offering free boating safety classes for young people 13 to 17.
This is a two-day course that will teach participants everything they need to know about safety, regulations, and basic boating skills. The class will take place on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19, at DLE Station M (Marine Barracks), at 150 Fowler Street, North Kingstown.
The first day will focus on classroom instruction, with the second day spent on learning and practicing skills in and around a DLE patrol boat.
“This is an in-depth course that will cover everything from boating registration, regulations, safety equipment, operation, navigation, and emergency communication to knot tying — and participants will even get to conduct water rescues on day two,” said Environmental Police Officer (EPO) and Boating Safety Instructor Anthony Esposito. “It will be fun but it’s for a serious purpose because the teens who take this class are Rhode Island’s future boaters, and they will make boating on the bay safer by having taken this class. If participants complete the course with flying colors, they’ll earn an RI Boating Safety Card. Ahoy!”
Esposito also stressed the importance of wearing a life jacket, which can make a real difference in someone’s chances of survival in the event of a boating accident.
According to the United States Coast Guard, 75% of all boating fatalities involve drowning, with 86% of those drowners not wearing a life jacket.
The DEM hopes that this course will help to prevent drowning accidents and make boating safer for everyone. By giving young people the skills and knowledge they need to navigate and operate boats safely, they can help to improve safety on the Rhode Island coast.
For information about the course, contact EPO Esposito at 401-222-1982 or Anthony.Esposito@dem.ri.gov.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.
