Chicago boat tragedies spark safety discussion about lake’s Playpen

Authorities said Thursday that no new safety regulations were needed for Lake Michigan’s “Playpen” but instead stressed personal responsibility as police continued their search for a man who reportedly fell off a boat Wednesday night at the party-friendly boating hot spot south of Oak Street Beach. The accident occurred just days after a woman lost her legs when she was sucked under a reversing boat’s propeller in the same area.

At a news conference on the city’s lakefront, police said they are still looking for a Black man, about 27 years old, who was last seen wearing a red shirt and white shorts, after he reportedly fell from a boat near the Jardine Water Purification Plant around 7 p.m. Wednesday. Police had quickly located another man who fell from the boat Wednesday night, and he was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

With crowds expected at this weekend’s Chicago Air and Water Show and the upcoming Labor Day weekend, officials are asking boaters, swimmers and other water recreationists to be responsible and stay safe while enjoying the lake. The water will be patrolled by the Chicago Police marine unit, the Chicago Fire department, the U.S. Coast Guard and the state’s Department of Natural Resources this weekend, said marine unit commanding officer Lt. Tony Mendez.

[ What is Chicago’s ‘Playpen’? Explaining the hot spot on Lake Michigan. ]

“We want everyone to come to the lakefront and have fun, but we don’t want them to mix alcohol in there,” Mendez said. “Alcohol and water are not a good mixture. We want to stress that.”

Mendez would not say if alcohol was suspected to be involved when two people fell from a boat Wednesday, but he said watergoers “being aware of their own safety” is his biggest concern in regards to the Playpen.

“We want to make sure that people have the correct boating equipment on their boats,” he said. “Fire extinguishers, personal flotation devices. We want to make sure that the boat captains and owners and everybody on the boat is aware of who is on the boat. We’re responsible for each other. People can easily fall off if you’re not paying attention.”

[ Body of man pulled from Lake Michigan identified; death marks 3rd apparent drowning in 3 days ]

Drinking too much on the water, jumping off boats while under the influence and swimming too close to other boats are examples of behaviors to avoid, Mendez said.

He also emphasized the value in the buddy system, encouraging everyone to “always swim with a buddy.”

Boats are still allowed in the playpen ahead of and during this weekend’s Air and Water Show, Mendez said. There is a restricted area right outside the Playpen that is marked by buoys, and the areas will be patrolled to make sure they are kept clear during the show.

Meanwhile, boaters Thursday reacted to the news of the back-to-back accidents this week at the Playpen, where powerboats often raft together and a see-and-be-seen crowd soaks up perfect skyline views.

Last weekend, Lana Batochir’s feet were severed by a boat’s propeller when a 37-foot chartered yacht driven by a licensed captain reversed over a raft she’d been floating on. The 34-year-old mother of two had both of her legs amputated because of the accident.

Kevin Finnegan said that many powerboat owners don’t get safety training. He had to take a course before racing his white yacht, he said after cleaning up his 41-foot sailboat, Rhumb Runner.

“It should be a requirement before you even get a boat,” he said at DuSable Harbor, opposite Navy Pier from the Playpen.

Finnegan sails and anchors away from the Playpen and doesn’t have opinions on how the space should be regulated. He believes people should be more careful.

“They want to have fun and want to have a good time. I’m all for that too, but I think we got to be a little more safe,” he said.

When boat bartender Daniel Castro sees clearly intoxicated people trying to board the floating Pablo’s Tiki Snack Shack, he denies them entry. It’s too dangerous to be drunk on the water, he said.

“That’s 100% it, people being involved with alcohol,” he said.

The Playpen doesn’t get crowded to an unsafe point, the boat worker said. But as the Chicago Air and Water Show fills the lake, sky and shores this weekend, boats are sure to flood the area.

“It’s going to be impossible for everybody to have control at some point,” Castro, 45, said. He doesn’t see police pass his bar, south of Navy Pier, often and wondered if safety could improve if authorities more regularly scanned the often-crowded nearby boating hot spot.

But sitting out on a corner of Milton Lee Olive Park that juts far out into the Playpen, Todd Arkebauer said that authorities do keep a close eye when boats crowd the water.

“It is policed by a couple police and Coast Guard vehicles all the time, weaving in and out, telling people to turn down the volume, … checking on people drinking,” he said.

Arkebauer’s apartment overlooks the Playpen. The spot has always been crowded, but has become even busier this summer as gas prices have risen and people want to anchor down, he said.

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“Nobody is out driving in the lake. They all come here and park,” he said. “Boats hook up, these huge archipelago on the weekends. They play loud music and have fun. There’s just tons and tons of activity.”

As a handful of small boats dotted the Playpen’s calm teal waters Thursday afternoon, Arkebauer kept his eye out for the missing man. He said there were only a few boats out on Wednesday night when the men apparently fell off their boat. But he said that wasn’t the case for Saturday’s accident.

“It wouldn’t have happened if there weren’t that many boats there,” he said.

The two accidents that occurred at the Playpen this week were tragic, but are rare instances of injury, Arkebauer said.

“It just happens to be a bad week. I wouldn’t be an advocate for limiting the number of boats that go in there. In general it’s a happy place to party and spend a hot summer day,” he said.

Sitting on a bench nearby, Nancy Schiller said she often sees young people on big, expensive boats as she takes her regular walk to the water. Sure, it gets crowded and people party, she said, but it doesn’t get rough.

“I like it. It’s fun. There’s life going on here,” she said.