US Coast Guard photo. A rescue vessel from Coast Guard Station Portage seen patrolling the Keweenaw waterway. The Coast Guard is raising awareness of boater safety through Friday in an effort to inform the public of boater safety.

DOLLAR BAY — Saturday marked the beginning of Coast Guard Boating Safety Week and Coast Guard Station Portage is using the week to encourage those boating locally to observe safe practices and to remind the community of services the Coast Guard provides. The week runs until Friday and ends with an open house at the station in Dollar Bay starting at 6 p.m.

The return of summer brings resident back to the water, and USCG Engineering Petty Officer Dan Langley wants those on the water to re-familiarize themselves with safe practices. Engineering Petty Officer Michael Armstrong said the public should become aware of Station Portage and what the Coast Guard does. Armstrong said he’s heard many times people are unaware of the Dollar Bay location or don’t call when in danger because they are unaware the Coast Guard rescue services are at the ready.

“It’s what the taxpayers pay us for, to do that specific thing (rescues). And if people don’t know we’re here, then how can they count on us to do it?”

Station Portage’s area of responsibility (AOR) begins a little west of Ontonagon, covers the entire Keweenaw Peninsula, reaches east to the Huron Islands near Huron Bay and then all the way north to Isle Royale. Because of the long distance between the station and Isle Royale, immediate rescues are normally conducted by other agencies such as the National Park Service. Langley and Armstrong said the Canadian Coast Guard from Thunder Bay, Ontario has also assisted in emergencies in Station Portage’s northern AOR.

Armstrong wants to stress the importance of safe boating. He explained boaters should always have Coat Guard approved life jackets and floatation devices such as a life ring on board. Langley said boaters should always keep life jackets within reach and to ensure they are aware of their location on board. Children in Michigan six and under must be wearing a life jacket at all times. Other safety items recommended to keep on board include a fire extinguisher and flare gun. Cellular signals on Lake Superior are limited, which is why Langley encourages VHF marine radios or satellite phones.

Armstrong emphasized failure to practice safe boating could put others in danger which is why the Coast Guard boards vessels to ensure boaters are obeying the law. Boaters need to keep in mind to not drive recklessly and to not boat under the influence of drugs or alcohol. “You’re going to get in more trouble. You’re going to get double the trouble from boating under the influence. So I prefer you not do that. If not, we’ll see you out there,” Langley said.

Armstrong said the most common thing they come across on boardings is a lack of a floating safety device like a life ring. “People don’t realize how often people fall in the water,” Armstrong said. “People like to do dangerous things on boats, especially when they don’t get to use them that often. When they’re just renting them, or they’re wakeboarding or tubing. Sometimes stuff happens. And to have that throwable on board, a floatation device of some kind that is attached [to the boat] and you could pull right back in is a huge benefit.”

Langley said when boaters make a habit of having floatation devices on board it presents the ability to assist others who may fall overboard near other vessels. He said location is another area of concern Langley and Armstrong discussed, especially Lake Superior.

“People don’t understand how dangerous it can be on Lake Superior,” Armstrong said. “I’ve been to heavy weather units, Langley has been to surf units. Lake Superior is quite a bit of a monster when it comes to wave conditions. There is not a lot of a wave period here, which essentially means is the distance in between the waves, the “seconds” we call it. Out in the ocean, the Pacific, the Atlantic, you have quite a large distance. You get pretty big swells. You can get big waves that maybe aren’t so dangerous because you have a lot of period between them. But here that doesn’t exist. Waves are constant all the time, and there’s not any break between them.”

Langley described the condition as the “bathtub effect” and warned because of it, small waves are deceptively dangerous. Armstrong said three foot waves on the water can disrupt a vessel’s stability when the waves are crashing against the vessel with no breaks. Armstrong said once or twice a year the Coast Guard will have to conduct a rescue because people thought they could take on seven or eight foot waves. When people go overboard in Lake Superior, it does not take long for hypothermia to set in due to the lake’s temperature.

“If you’re gonna go out, you need to understand what Lake Superior is. It’s not the ocean. It’s different,” Armstrong said.

Langley said Lake Superior and the Keweenaw can experience thick fog, so boaters should only go at speeds where windshield wipers can work effectively. He said people do not know what is beyond the fog and need to take precaution to not hit an object or another vessel.

Langley warned of high winds and recommended checking the weather forecast before venturing out and keeping a radio handy to listen for weather updates. He said If a boat is caught in inclement weather, boaters should turn on navigation lights and boats without these lights should not go out in questionable weather. Langley said the Coast Guard makes note of wind speeds over 20 knots and winds above 30 knots are considered dangerous.

“Typically around 15 and 20 knots is when the wind starts making its own waves, so that is adding on another effect,” Langley said. “So anytime it’s windy, really be cautious, especially if you’re on a kayak or a paddle boat. Typically, I pull people out of the water that weren’t expecting it, and they get sucked out or pushed out pretty quickly. And that’s a bad day for everybody.”

Langley and Armstrong remind boaters to keep buoys in mind when boating on Lake Superior. They explained buoys mark safe channels and venturing outside of them means you’re running at your own risk.

“If you’re inside the buoys, you’re doing okay. If you’re in between a buoy and land, that’s probably not the best. You’re running a chance to having a real bad day,” Langley said.

The last things Langley and Armstrong wanted to tell the public was to not be embarrassed to reach out for help and consider taking a boating safety course. Langley explained they have responded to things such as boaters running out of gas on open water. They wanted to remind everyone the service is like the fire department and paid for with tax dollars, so rescues do not cost victims any money.

“We train every single day for hours at a time, just to help you. That’s all we do. It’s our whole job. So we want to help you. Let us do the work,” Armstrong said.

Coast Guard Station Portage’s telephone number is (906) 482-1520 and the distress calls via radio should be made to channel 16.

The open house on Friday will give a tour of Coast Guard Station Portage and how it operates. The tour will include the boats and equipment the Coast Guard utilizes as well as provide general information on the service branch.