6066-R2_ML&P_LSLA_2018_Web_WinterNewsletter_Web

Safety Patrol Program of 2018

The absolutely fantastic summer of 2018 is behind us, and I hope that all of you reading this enjoyed it as much as I did. I heard, “What a great summer!” more times this year than ever before. The weather had a lot to do with it and the lake was busy. Speed boats, pontoon boats, sail boats, jet skis, kayaks, paddle boards…… they were everywhere! More and more members have multiple boats. Years ago we all only had one, right? Now we have one of each! So, therefore the need for higher levels of awareness and safety. The board has recognized this need and it is one of our priorities now.

We hired the State of Maine Wardens to be on our lake 19 times this summer, and only two were cancelled due to weather. These details were in addition to the normal patrols they would give to us on the normal rotation. While they were on our lake, 638 boats were checked, 25 summons written and 32 warnings were issued. This tells me that the majority of us are conscientious and law abiding boaters! Thank you for that. Those that were ticketed and warned have hopefully learned a valuable lesson. The Safety Patrol Boat was out 361 hours this summer! Every Friday night, Saturday and Sunday and every day the week of the fourth of July. They towed 4 vessels to shore, stopped and passed out life jackets as necessary, provided hundreds of whistles, educated, promoted the association and were a constant reminder to us all. The Water Safety class for children was a huge success and we will repeat that next summer. There was also a spontaneous safety class at Lyons Point with 8 boats participating. We sponsored the National Association of State Boating Law class on July 15, and the State of Maine hosted numerous others in Cumberland County throughout the summer. And finally we are also working on establishing an Emergency Action Plan for the lake and will update you on that next spring.

Stay safe and warm this winter and see you in 2019!

Sharon Lamontagne

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