Booming Interest in Boating Leads to More Deaths and Accidents
The U.S. Coast Guard reported a 25 percent jump in boating fatalities last summer compared to the year before. Casualty numbers this summer are tracking to be even higher. Over the past 15 months, “we saw a lot of stupid things,” said David Beek, whose family owns the Balboa Island Ferry in Newport Beach, Calif. Since the start of the pandemic, boating accidents have been on the rise. Credit.Beth Coller for The New York Times
By Debra Kamin
Aug. 4, 2021Updated 1:13 p.m. ET
David Beek knows the waterways in Newport Beach, Calif., better than anyone. His family has owned and operated the Balboa Island Ferry, a commuter boat for both cars and people, for more than 100 years. And from his perch on the ferry’s fuel dock, he can see everything that’s happening in Newport Harbor.