Victoria Gaines Boating Safety Program
In 2012, three local children died when the boat they were on capsized in Oyster Bay after a Fourth of July fireworks display; the 34-foot cabin cruiser had 27 people onboard, 15 of them children.
Lisa and Paul Gaines of South Huntington lost their 7-year-old daughter Victoria, just 2 days shy of her 8th birthday, in this terrible, preventable tragedy.
This tragic accident is the reason that in 2013, the Town started holding its Annual Boating Safety Week at the beginning of each boating season with the Greater Huntington Council of Yacht & Boating Clubs and the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Lisa Gaines has worked with the Maritime Services Department, addressing attendees at the Town's boating safety classes to share her personal story and provide boating safety advice.
In May 2019, the Town named its boating safety program as the Town of Huntington Victoria Gaines Boating Safety Program, honoring Victoria and creating a legacy of preventing future boating tragedies.
Courses offered under the Town's Victoria Gaines Boating Safety Program include: