ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Despite the warm weather, the lake waters are still very cold, and the U.S. Coast Guard is reminding boaters to stay safe as National Safe Boating Week kicks off at the Port of Rochester.

“There’s a lot of testing that goes into operating a motor vehicle and all these things, you build up to it when you turn 16. There’s nothing like that in place necessarily for operating a boat on the weekend or just buying a boat and throwing it out on the water,” said SCPO. Matthew Riesberg of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Riesberg said that starting next year, it will be mandatory for all New York State boaters to have some form of boating education.

New York State offers safe boating courses during the summer here.

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