Boaters pack the waterways for Fourth of July weekend

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY)– As beachgoers packed the waterway with boats over the Fourth of July weekend, it wasn’t just a busy time for boaters, it also meant a surge in calls for local towing crews.

The waterways around Wrightsville Beach were packed with boaters over the Fourth of July weekend, creating scenes that looked more like holiday traffic on a highway than a day on the water.

Sea Tow Captain Ryan Saporito said the number of boats on the water skyrockets during the holiday. “From 12 o’clock on, it’s just going to be like I-95 on a holiday weekend. There’ll be hundreds of boats,” Saporito said.

With more boats comes more work for towing crews.

On a typical weekend, Saporito and his crew respond to about 15 to 20 service calls, many involving stranded boaters, mechanical failures, or fuel-related issues. During the three-day Fourth of July weekend, however, he expected that number to jump dramatically.

“We anticipate going up probably in the 60 to 70 range,” he said.

Saporito said the holiday brings both experienced local boaters and visitors unfamiliar with the area’s waterways. He encourages anyone navigating unfamiliar channels to slow down and use caution.

“If you’re unfamiliar with an unmarked channel, just take it slow. Slow down. You don’t want to be hitting a sandbar at 30 knots—you might hit it at five or six, and then you can get yourself out. And if you can’t, it makes it easier for us to get you out of that situation,” Saporito said.

While patrolling with Sea Tow, WWAY also visited Masonboro Island, where volunteers with Masonboro.org spent part of the holiday weekend helping keep the beach clean.

Tom Hackler, president of Masonboro.org, said the nonprofit encourages visitors to help preserve the island by picking up trash during their visit.

“We encourage people to bring five-gallon buckets with them, especially on holiday weekends. Take a bucket with you to the beach, walk the beach, pick up trash,” Hackler said.

Hackler said volunteers also conduct cleanup walks later in the day to collect anything left behind by beachgoers.

“Our big push is in the late afternoon toward sunset when we walk the beach and make sure there’s not a bottle cap left behind on the backside of Masonboro,” he said.

Hackler says protecting the island goes beyond keeping it looking nice. He calls Masonboro Island one of southeastern North Carolina’s most unique natural areas, providing important habitat for wildlife while offering visitors an opportunity to enjoy an undeveloped stretch of coastline.

“We consider Masonboro Island the Yellowstone of southeastern North Carolina. It’s really a very unique island. It’s very special to animals, marine life, and the people that live here,” Hackler said.