Boat Safe Chicago offers boating safety course in hopes of preventing accidents

CHICAGO (WLS) -- As the weather warms up, people are getting ready to take to the water.

A team of master captains will be offering boat safety classes to area boaters, in the hopes of preventing accidents.

Jon Meyer has been driving boats for most of his life, and his mission is safety. He is now a certified Master Captain and one of the instructors for Boat Safe Chicago, which teaches everyone from beginners to experienced boaters how to operate on the water safely.

"We teach people the basics. How to dock a boat, 180 degree turn and to make maneuvers at high speed," Meyer said.

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Actually, driving a boat is just part of the instruction. Boaters also need to know how to stay in one place when they stop on the water.

"One of the most important things in anchoring is to keep your bow into the wind and give it a nice little toss," Meyer explained.

The safety classes came about after last summer's boating accident in what's known as Chicago's "Playpen," when a boat backed into a raft and severely injured several people.

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Meyer also said 44 people drown in Lake Michigan last year.

"Most of those 44 drownings last year could have been prevented by wearing a life jacket," Meyers said.

The class also teaches what to do if someone goes overboard, like tossing them a life jacket and how to carefully approach so they can be pulled out of the water safely.

One of the most important lessons they teach in the class is how to go through the locks to get from the lake to the river. The Chicago lock system is the busiest in the country.

The classes also teach radio communication, all with the goal of making the lake safer for everyone and the summer more enjoyable.