King County sheriff¿s Sgt. Jim Knauss talks to some boaters on Lake Washington about boat safety. (KCPQ-TV)
Officers are anticipating big crowds on Lake Washington and other local lakes and rivers on this first hot weekend of the year. And they say they will be checking to make sure everyone on the boats have their lifejackets on.
Boat owner Rodney Robertson has traveled more than 20,000 miles on his 50-foot boat "De Nada" over the past two decades.
Robertson said that when he has guests on his boat, “It`s kind of like what happens on an airplane -- they have a safety briefing to start off -- and I do the same thing with people when they come on the boat, even if it`s just for a cruise on the lake.”
King County sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Knauss will be out on the water this weekend, too, but checking to make sure registrations are good and paying attention to whether everyone has their lifejackets on.
“For some reason, at the beginning of the summer, we always find that people don`t have lifejackets on the boat,” Knauss said.
His message: If you`re out on the water this weekend, don`t expect to catch a break if you don`t have the right safety gear.
“We`re going to terminate your voyage and send you back to the dock,” Knauss said, “and we`re going to give you a ticket to go with it because lifejackets are so important out here.”
