The Massachusetts Marine Trades Association (MMTA) is happy to announce that we have declared Saturday June 10, 2017, as “Massachusetts KIDS Boating Day”. Currently, there are four KIDS boating events taking place in Massachusetts on Saturday June 10. The current list of events is below, but more events may be added before Saturday. Chairman Bill Straus of the Massachusetts Legislature’s Boating Caucus stated, “Educating young children on the safety of boating and at the same time allowing them to enjoy all that boating has to offer prepares them for a lifetime of linking these experiences of safe boating on our waterways.”
The boating industry in Massachusetts is a very vibrant one, and we would like to keep it that way. The sustainability of the boating industry depends on getting more kids on the water and enjoying all that the boating lifestyle has to offer. Boating is a family friendly and healthy activity that is enjoyed by millions of people around the country. On Saturday, June 10, one of the objectives for the events taking place will be to highlight what boating industry organizations and businesses offer the kids in our state and to introduce news kids to the water. More than 70 percent of adult boaters started boating when they were kids and the MMTA recognizes the more kids we can get on the water in a safe and smart manner today, the better off our industry will be tomorrow.
The current events scheduled are as follows:
Touch a Boat – Hingham – 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – www.facebook.com/hinghamharbor/
Touch a Boat – Newburyport – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., www.facebook.com/events/183685345473959
Touch a Boat – Nantucket – 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. – www.facebook.com/events/1834289360228012/
KIDS Marina Open House – Charlestown Marina – Charlestown – All Day open house with kids movie starting at dusk (weather dependent) – For more information call (617) 242-2020.
The Friends of Hingham Harbor – Touch a Boat event is now in its sixth year running and the organizers expect approximately 1,000 people to attend the event this year.
“Touch a Boat is a great place for kids to create adventures and explore the harbor,” said Greg Lane, executive director of Friends of Hingham Harbor. The Newburyport Touch a Boat event hosted by Merrowhawke Nature School is in its second year and this is the first year for the Nantucket Touch a Boat event hosted by MMTA member Nantucket Boat Basin, and this is the first KIDS Marina open house event hosted by MMTA member Charlestown Marina.
For more information on events taking place on Mass KIDS Boating Day or to register a kids boating event, visit masskidsboatingday.org.
