Coast Guard with helping lifeguards prevent crashes. “That’s where the accidents happen,” Gartland said. Operating a personal watercraft without proper safety instructions before you begin is dangerous, he said. “They get on an app, they rent a vessel, they show up at a public boat launch, they get on it and they go 70 miles an hour within 2 to 3 minutes.” Gartland is scheduled Thursday to host a news conference at the bay’s Ski Beach boat launch to discuss continuing concerns about illegal boat rental companies, which often attract customers online through smartphone apps. Greater vigilance by lifeguards the next summer reduced the number of crashes to three, but the number shot back up to 21 last summer, Gartland said.
The new efforts were prompted by a record 43 boat and personal watercraft crashes during summer 2020, the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re getting a good accounting of the legal operators and making sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing on safety,” Gartland said. In addition, lifeguards are working with the city’s Department of Real Estate and Airport Management to make sure legal boat rental companies are following city regulations. “We’re trying to catch people at the boat launches before they even start their embarkment,” Gartland said.
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