Boating Season to Begin in Earnest This Weekend

HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, May 23, 2026) – Plenty of green flags – both literally and figuratively – are slated to drop on this Memorial Day weekend.

Besides this being the start of the summer vacation season, with over 39 million nationwide, and 1.3 million in Michigan alone, hitting the roads, but the lakes and rivers should be teeming with boaters, according to Sergeant Chris Reuwer, head of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit.

Water conditions are expected to be moderate on Lake Michigan over the weekend, according to National Weather Service forecasters.

The literal green flags are slated for Sunday in Indianapolis for the Indy 500, and in Charlotte, North Carolina for the NASCAR 600-mile race there.