Beware of navigation hazards
(Photo courtesy BONNER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE) Marine patrol deputies have been marking hazards such as this but warn other navigation hazards are not as obvious due to the changing water elevations on Lake Pend Oreille.
SANDPOINT — The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office is advising Memorial Day Weekend boaters to keep their eyes peeled for navigation hazards.
Large logs floating on or just beneath the surface of local waterways are common this time of year. Marine patrol deputies marked a number of hazards.
“However, some hazards are not so obvious, particularly since water levels are lower, exposing hazards that are normally submerged when lakes and rivers are at full pool,” the sheriff’s office said in a post to its Facebook page.
The sheriff’s office is encouraging all boaters to be vigilant and for skippers to post a lookout consistent with U.S. Coast Guard Rule 5.
“Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper lookout by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision,” Rule 5 reads in its entirety.
The sheriff’s office is also recommending boaters and their passengers to wear personal flotation devices before they set out.
“There are a number of reasons why a boater could enter the water unexpectedly and water temperatures are still very cold,” the sheriff’s office said.