Authorities encourage safe boating on area lakes

LAKE NORMAN, N.C. — The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Office is preparing for a busy summer on Lake Norman.

Officials are expecting record crowds to the lake with Ramsey Creek Beach expected to open on Memorial Day.

"A lot of jet skis, a lot of pontoons, a lot of recreation boats, it's a lot of people on Lake Norman coming up," Deputy Sheriff D.S. Sawyer, of the Catawba County Sheriff's Office, said.

The Catwaba County Sheriff's Office took Channel 9 on a tour of Lake Norman Thursday to show how they are preparing.

There were 166 boating accidents in the state last year, including nine on Lake Norman, five on Mountain Island Lake and three on Lake Wylie.

There were 25 people who died while on the water last year.

"An accident involves more than just a person," Officer Zach Smith, of North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said. "It's every law enforcement agency involved, every emergency management staff, every family member."

Wildlife officers are also getting ready.

Their main concerns are educating vacationers on North Carolina's laws, like making sure boat operators keep a safe distance from shoals.
 
Drinking and boating don't mix, officials reiterate.
 
Last year, two people died on Lake Norman when alcohol was involved. One of those was Sheyenne Marshall, a teenager who was struck by a drunken boater while kneeboarding on the Fourth of July.
 
Officers are determined to keep that from happening again.
 
"We're not out here to ruin anyone's day by any means, but we do have to deal with situations as they arise," Smith said. 
 
Officers will be conducting prelaunch inspections, looking for life jackets, fire extinguishers and throwable life preservers.

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