LaSalle Police, along with a number of partners, will be hosting a boat safety inspection clinic at the Riverdance parking lot, in Gil Maure Park near the boat ramp, and in the Town of LaSalle public marina slips this weekend.
The Detroit River, Lake Erie, and Lake St. Clair area have one of the largest numbers of registered watercraft in North America.
Constable Terry Seguin says due to the overwhelming interest in boating in the region, officials have come together to provide a vessel safety inspection clinic, free of charge, to help boaters have a safe start to the season.
"It's been something that we've done over the years. We just like to have people come out, bring their boats, bring their safety equipment, get it all packed up and let us have a look. It's all about safety, it's not so much about following the rules, we just want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable boating season."
The purpose of the clinic is to ensure that every vessel has the required and necessary safety equipment onboard and that it is in good working order.
Seguin says there’s always something that people may have missed and it's a great idea to have it checked out by a trained professional before heading out on the water.
"Number one piece of safety equipment is your life jacket, and often times those can get wear and tear even if they're just sitting around, they can get dry rod. We've had instances where we've have emergencies and unfortunately deaths, even though the person had the life jacket it was dry rod and fell apart."
He says the goal is to ensure all vessels are safe and boaters are well educated for the boating season, as well as answer questions and inform the public of any changes to the laws on the local waterways.
"It's not about giving you a fine or giving you a warning. Those penalties are in place to guide people to do the right thing, it's not so we can make the money for the government, it all comes back to we want to see you go out, have a good time, and come back the same way you went out."
The clinic will run from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sunday, with activities like learning how to properly tie a boat to different types of moorings, buoyant heaving line throwing instruction, and an impairment goggle bean bag toss which simulates the effects of alcohol impairment on judgment.