Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Barresi | Chief Petty Officer Justin Leary, Officer in Charge of Station Rochester, moves to...... read more read more
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The crew of Coast Guard Station Rochester scanned Lake Ontario’s horizon looking for potential boats to board. There were plenty of options for the boarding team to pick from. The crew narrowed their focus to two small boats in the distance and then decided which one to target. The coxswain hit the lights and navigated toward the boat while the boarding officer motioned to the mariner to put their boat in neutral. As the coxswain neared the boat, he issued quick and clear orders to the crew, directing them where and when to put over lines. While this was happening, the boarding officer called out to the mariner, “Good afternoon! Have you ever been boarded by the Coast Guard?”
This was a common sequence throughout the day as Station Rochester’s crew performed multiple safety boardings during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. A safety boarding is conducted by a boarding officer and boarding team members with the goal of ensuring that the mariner has all the required safety equipment and is operating safely. Recreational boating traffic increases over the summer holiday and as boating traffic increases so do the station’s patrols.
The boarding team went through a well-practiced routine building a friendly rapport with the boater as they checked for life jackets, flares, fire extinguishers and other required items.
“Safety boardings are important because they can identify discrepancies in boat outfit that could potentially save a life,” said Chief Petty Officer Justin Leary, officer in charge of Coast Guard Station Rochester. “If a vessel is well equipped it makes the situation more survivable until help arrives.”
On this occasion the boarding went smoothly, and the boarding officer wrapped up by giving the operator a yellow carbon copy of the boarding report and thanking him for his cooperation.
Coinciding with the holiday weekend was Operation Dry Water, an annual operation focused on deterring the use of alcohol while piloting a boat. Alcohol is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents, and a strong presence on the water is one way to either catch boaters under the influence or deter boaters from making poor decisions.
“Station Rochester’s role during Op Dry Water is to engage with mariners in our AOR [area of responsibility] and educate them about boating safety,” stated Leary. “Throughout the course of our boardings, we educate recreational boaters on the legal limits of consuming alcohol while underway.”
While scanning for boats to board, the crew looked for potential signs that a boater might be intoxicated, but they also randomly picked boats to stop and board. While the focus is alcohol use, often the boarding team identifies missing safety equipment or finds expired flares or fire extinguishers; these are issues mariners need to address to be ready in the case of an emergency.
“Safety boardings are a necessary component of the Coast Guard’s mission,” Leary continued. “Mariners should view them as an educational opportunity.”
According to Leary, a successful Operation Dry Water can be measured by the number of boardings his crew completes. The more mariners the Coast Guard educates, the safer the waterways will be.
“If during these boardings we find just one individual operating over the legal limit, it’s one less hazard local mariners need to be concerned with,” said Leary.
Station Rochester’s holiday weekend operations were just one part of the Coast Guard’s vast effort to keep mariners safe. Similar scenes and operations played out from station to station across the Great Lakes District. During the Fourth of July holiday weekend, these crews responded to 82 search and rescue cases, assisting 99 lives and saving 72.
According to the Coast Guard’s 2024 Recreational Boating Statistics, “Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating incidents; where the primary cause was known, it was listed as the leading factor in 20% of deaths.”
Operating a boat under the influence of alcohol is dangerous, illegal, and irresponsible. Mariners should take their safety into their own hands by boating sober and being prepared with the required safety equipment on their boats.
| Date Taken: | 07.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.11.2025 04:29 |
| Story ID: | 542509 |
| Location: | ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 151 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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