The Leelanau County Sheriff's Marine Patrol will offer safety classes for boaters who will be at least 12 years of age by the end of the boating season.

Students who successfully complete the course will receive certifications which will allow them to operate a boat with more than five horsepower without adult supervision.

Personal Watercraft (PWC) operators must be at least 14 years of age and be in possession of a boating safety certificate if born after Dec. 31, 1978. In addition, youth 12 and 13 years of age can operate a PWC if they have a parent on board and the operator and parent have a boating safety certificate with them at the time of operation.

Some insurance companies offer reduced rates for owners who have taken a boating safety course, according to a press release provided by the Sheriff’s Department.

Parents or any other adult desiring to increase their boating knowledge are welcome to take the class regardless of age.

Classes will be held:
• June 23, 24 and 25 at the Leelanau County Law Enforcement Center (LEC);
• July 7, 8, and 9 at the Glen Lake yacht club;
• July 21, 22 and 23 at the Northport fire hall;
• Aug. 4, 5 and 6 at the LEC.

All classes will start at 9 a.m. and conclude at noon. Participants must attend all three days in the course sequence and pass a test to receive a permits. There will be no charge to take the course; the only requirement is that participants come with a “positive attitude and a desire to be a safe boater,” the release states.

Those attending the class in June or August can access the training room from the rear of the LEC, located at 8525 E. Government Center Dr., two miles east of Lake Leelanau off M-204.