Water safety is in the spotlight heading into Memorial Day weekend.
As part of National Safe Boating Week, the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center is sharing safety reminders for those heading onto the water, including an emphasis on life jackets
“If you’re not wearing a life jacket and you fall overboard in the water that’s this cold, you’re less likely to make it home,” said Teresa Coronado, Program Director at the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center. “Kids wearing life jackets, if they grow up wearing it, it never occurs to them that they shouldn’t.”
U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the cause of death in four out of every five recreational boating deaths in 2017.
But it’s not only drowning that people should be mindful of.
“Lake Michigan is an inland sea,” Coronado said. “While it doesn’t have tides much about three or four inches, it does have currents. We get some serious rip currents and they can be dangerous.”
Click here to learn more about the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center.