Brewerton (WSYR-TV) – The relentless rain has made for tricky navigating and challenging conditions on Central New York’s lakes and rivers and boaters in the region are being asked to slow down and use caution on the waters.

A veteran boater in Brewerton – Bob Letizia – said the water is more challenging than any he has seen in 20 years.

“Normally I can make it down here in an hour and a half but it took me two and a half hours because I wanted to keep someone on the lookout for floating logs because there is a lot of debris in the water,” Letizia said.

The high waters and debris make for a dangerous combination.

“I've never seen it this bad for this long of a time. I've seen it when there's been heavy rain storms but this has been consistently now for the past few weeks,” said Letizia.

Members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary will be out in force on the weekend to ensure boater safety as more rain is expected to make its way into the Central New York area.

The Coast Guard will be checking to make sure everyone has a life vest – and they are urging boaters to slow down and always have an extra pair of eyes in the boat to avoid the dangers lurking in the lake.

They say there is still a lot of debris, high waters and swift currents in the area, so boaters should monitor their acceleration in the water.

“Watch your speed because if there's a partially submerged item and you hit it and if you are going to fast you can flip over and throw something out of the boat,” Allen said.