Marine police expect a busy Independence Day weekend

Alabama Marine Police Capt. John Clifton has two words of advice for anyone boating during the Independence Day holiday weekend; be careful.

July 4 is typically one of the busiest days of the years on Alabama waterways. With the holiday falling on Saturday this year, Clifton expects boaters and personal watercraft operators to flock en masse to lakes and rivers throughout Alabama.

"There's going to be a lot of boats on the water," Clifton said. "Anyone who is going to be out in a boat needs to be aware of their surroundings at all times and use a little bit of common sense."

Because of the crowded conditions, Clifton recommends all boat operators slow down during the holiday weekend and watch out for other boats and swimmers in the water.

Clifton said anyone who plans on drinking alcoholic beverages while on the water should have a non-drinking designated driver onboard who can operate the boat.

"Anyone who is going to use alcohol while on a boat, needs to use it in moderation," he said. "The effects of being in the sun and the motion of the water magnifies the effects of alcohol. Someone on a boat can become impaired much more quickly than they normally would while consuming alcohol."

He said marine police will patrol state waterways during the holiday weekend looking for impaired operators and other dangerous boat operations.

Clifton said boaters who do anything that attracts attention to how they are operating their boat could attract a visit from marine police.

He recommends anyone who plans on boating during the holiday weekend - or at any other time - make sure all the required safety equipment, including life jackets and a fire extinguisher - are on board before they head onto the water.

While Alabama laws only require that children younger than age 8 wear a life jacket at all times while onboard a boat - except when riding below deck in an enclosed cabin - Clifton said it's a good idea for personal flotation devices to be worn by everyone riding on a boat. Anyone riding a personal watercraft or being towed by a boat while riding skis, wakeboards and tubes is required to wear a life jacket.

"With as many people as we are expecting to be on the water next weekend, you just can't be too careful," Clifton said. "The lakes are going to be covered up with boats."

One of the busiest areas on the Tennessee River will be around McFarland Park. Hundreds of boaters are expected to gather around the park for a day-long festival there that includes a fireworks show from a barge on Pickwick Lake.

Dan Lawson, who operates Florence Harbor Marina and Restaurant, is bracing for a the onslaught of boaters.

"We'll be packed. We will have boats in here from all over," Lawson said.

He expects to be busy at the marina fueling boats with gasoline and diesel and busy at the restaurant serving catfish, hamburgers and other foods. He said many people have made reservations at the restaurant for Saturday night to watch the fireworks show from its deck.

Jim Davis, area manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, expects lock operators at Wilson Dam will also be busy Saturday as boaters move between Wilson and Pickwick lakes.

After the fireworks show, lock operators will wait until all the boats planning to return to Wilson Lake are in the lock before closing the gates. He said boaters can help make the locking process run more smoothly by having rope for securing the vessel in the lock. All boats must be secured before operators can begin raising boats from Pickwick Lake to Wilson Lake.

Davis said boaters should be patient while waiting to lock through the dam and be courteous to other boaters waiting to do the same.

"People don't need to be trying to run over each other in the lock and they need to listen to the lock operator's instructions," Davis said.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@

TimesDaily.com.