Hot weather brings out the boaters

Hot weather, especially during the long Memorial Day holiday weekend, will bring out the boaters throughout South Carolina.  To try to make for as safe as conditions as possible, the DNR will hold courtesy boat inspections at public boat landings.  Two of those inspections will take place on state waters in both Pickens and Anderson counties.  DNR officers will perform a quick, but thorough, inspection of your boat to make sure you have the required safety equipment and proper boat and motor registration for your watercraft before you launch.  And you can get tips on how to stay safe on the water from 2 to 4 pm Sunday, May 30 at the River Forks Boat Ramp on Lake Hartwell in Anderson County and from 10 am to noon Monday, May 31 (Memorial Day) at Twelve Mile Landing, Lake Hartwell in Pickens County.  The inspections are completely voluntary and not required before launching.  Boaters who take advantage of the inspection and are found to not be in compliance with safety regulations or registration requirements will not be ticketed during the complimentary inspections.  Instead, they get a chance to correct the problem before they launch their boat.  One boater from Seneca wasn’t so lucky.  Late last week the DNR charged him multiple watercraft violations.