Reckless behavior by boaters on the Chicago River and in Lake Michigan this year is the worst it’s been in decades, officials said on Tuesday.
Mike McElroy, Chicago Harbor Safety Committee President, said Chicago boaters are displaying “an overall complete dismissal of the law or the consequences of going too fast” this summer.
“In 38 years I’ve never seen it like this,” McElroy said.
The Chicago Harbor Safety Committee launched a “Own Your Wake” campaign on Tuesday to promote safer boating on the city’s waterways after several recent incidents occurred, including in the popular Play Pen area of Lake Michigan, according to McElroy.
In one of the boating incidents that occurred this summer, a 26-year-old woman was killed and several people were seriously injured in late June when two boats crashed just before midnight near Chicago’s Monroe Harbor.
“The campaign’s message — “Slow Down. Watch Your Wake.” — reminds operators that a boat’s wake can travel well beyond the vessel and create hazards for smaller craft, docked boats, shoreline infrastructure, and aquatic species. Even when conditions appear calm from the helm, a wake may continue outward after a vessel has passed, rocking other boats or striking the shoreline minutes later,”
A video posted to Instagram on Sunday by user @gregorygreb that quickly went viral shows a yellow speed boat zipping down the main branch of the Chicago River — a strict “No Wake Zone” where kayakers are known to frequent — at a high rate of speed. The boat passed an architecture tour boat and a couple on a jet ski before, the video showed.
A video that appears to be a different angle of the same incident was also shared by Instagram user @dro9250, though neither video was able to be immediately independently verified by NBC Chicago.
Written on the side of the boat is its name: “Global Warmer.”
Authorities did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s inquiries regarding if the driver of the boat was issued any citations.
McElroy said the speeding boat was not the main reason for the campaign, “but it sure fits the bill for unsafe speed.”
“That could have been a disaster, but these types of things really happen every day out there,” he said.
The “Own Your Wake” campaign also reminds boat operators that they are responsible for damage caused by their wake, including being held liable for personal injury, death, and property damage costs.
“Chicago’s waterways are shared by recreational boaters, paddlers, passenger vessels, commercial operators, waterfront businesses, and residents,” McElroy said. “By slowing down and watching their wake, boaters can make an immediate difference in protecting people, property, and the shoreline.”
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