Enjoying a cold one on a boat during the upcoming Fourth of July festivities is, for many, an integral part of celebrating this most patriotic time of year. But the Town of Warren’s harbormaster and its partners within the Warren Police Department are sending out a clear message ahead of the holiday weekend.

Boat responsibly, or face the consequences.

While patrolling the Warren and Kickemuit Rivers and throughout Mt. Hope Bay for those boating under the influence is nothing new for harbormaster Ed Cabral (they’ve done joint patrols with the police for the past three years, he said), this year the Town is collaborating with the Warren Prevention Coalition to join in a nationwide campaign of awareness and action called “Operation Dry Water” to prevent potential tragedies caused by drinking and boating.

Cabral, along with two assistant harbormasters and two members of the Warren Police Department, will be patrolling local waters in the new patrol boat they acquired through the town’s capital budget, which was first put into use on May 26.

“The biggest issue people do not realize is that there’s enough stressors on the body just by driving a boat. The sun, the waves hitting you, and you have activity all around you. Unlike being in a car where you’re driving in a straight line, you can have boats all around you. There’s stressors all around the body, so excessive alcohol affects the body even more in that environment,” Cabral said. “That threshold is a lot lower than in a vehicle. The blood-alcohol content might be the same, but the body’s reaction to the stressors will become a lot more impaired due to alcohol.”

Warren Prevention Coalition program manager Maria Ursini said that the issue extends beyond boating while impaired on the water, as well.

“I think it’s so important for us to really highlight that in the summer, not only when they’re on the water and drinking, but then they might get into a car and drive,” she said. “It’s so important to inform individuals that this is an issue we do have.”

Operation Dry Water is a nationwide awareness and enforcement effort in which agencies from all 56 states, trusts and territories will be participating between July 1-3. Throughout the nation, patrols will look for signs of impaired boating and pursue legal measures if necessary for those found to be operating a boat in an unsafe manner. Alcohol use is the leading cause of boating accidents and deaths, according to the United States Coast Guard.

The program was launched in 2009, and reports to have removed 6,152 impaired boaters in the years since during these annual weekend campaigns.

While boating with open containers is not against local law, the same limits as driving a motor vehicle (a blood-alcohol content of .08 or higher) are in place. Penalties for boating under the influence can include jail time, fines, impoundment of the boat, and potentially the loss of your motor vehicle license in addition to your boating license.

“People think it’s a natural thing to be out there driving while boating, but unfortunately it does lead to a lot of bad things,” Cabral said.