Jackie Cerrito was steaming.

He was outraged by conditions at the Oakland Beach boat ramp and the jet skis have taken over the facility, especially on Sundays.

For starters, he said, “they take over all the spots; there’s no place to park.” There’s more to it than parking and getting his boat in and out of the water. Cerrito said the invasion of jet skiers left the area filled with trash and that the city did nothing to stop it.

As it turns out, Cerrito was only looking at the tip of the iceberg.

Jeff Baris said Sunday was the “busiest day” on the water he has seen in his 32 years as Warwick Harbormaster. Baris makes a round between Warwick Cove, East Greenwich Cove and Apponaug Cove before restarting the process. His patrols are augmented by assistant harbormasters. Assisting with patrols are police who check boat registrations, safe boating cards and jet ski licenses at the Oakland Beach ramp.

“We will be out there again this weekend and then next weekend we will be helping with the annual Aquapalooza and we will have a boat dedicated to BUI [boating under the influence] patrol at various hours during and after the event,” Warwick Police Captain Robert Hart said in an email.

Hart said Warwick Police “work very closely with the Harbormaster and RI DEM and the USCG. This past weekend alone we teamed up with USCG for patrols in and around Warwick.”

A perfect storm appears to be the cause for Sunday’s pleasure boating traffic.

Baris said boaters were anxious to get out on the water following prolonged high temperatures and a rainy Saturday that put a dampener on weekend plans. Additionally, he said a dinghy rally involving 130 inflatable dinghies was being held. The dinghies, some of them more than 18 feet long, made runs between restaurant and bars on Greenwich Bay coves.

“It was like you could walk across the boats from one side [of Warwick Cove] to the other,” Baris said. More than 2,000 boats are moored or docked in Warwick Cove, making the cove one of the busiest in the state.

While no citations were issued Sunday, Baris said stops were made and boaters were reminded of no wake requirements in the coves and safety provisions. He did not see any Department of Environmental Management on his rounds.

When stopping boaters for possible violations on Sunday, Baris would advise, “This is what you’re doing wrong, don’t lose the rest of your day.” Issuing citations would have cut down on the time he would have had to patrol waters.

As for the jet skis, Baris said there are several companies that rent out the popular boats that usually leave the operator and passengers soaked after a spray-flying ride across the waves. He said one vendor arrives with a trailer of six jet skis. The jet skis are rented and paid for online. Baris said regulations are hazy on what controls the city has. Hart said the city does not have a specific license related to jet-ski rentals, to conduct business, but that they must be registered with the RI Department of State.

Cerrito was told the jet skis rent for $125 an hour and are often secured on the Oakland Beach ramp for extended periods in violation of time allowed for loading and offloading thus denying other boaters to use of the ramp.

Baris said that there has been an explosion of personal watercraft since the pandemic. He estimated 100 jet skis are docked in Warwick Cove.

While the busiest day on the water, Baris was thankful it was void of casualties. Given the forecast he’s prepared for a repeat performance this weekend.