Cheers to the Warden Service, Maine’s Marine Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard for taking the offensive in curtailing drinking on Maine’s waterways.

Operation Dry Water launches this weekend, a national effort targeting drunks at the helm.

“Boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs has become the leading contributing factor in fatal recreational boating accidents,” according to Maine Warden Service Lt. Adam Gormely.

Remember Robert LaPointe?

After a day of heavy drinking, he was responsible for the deaths of Terry Ray Trott and Suzanne Groetzinger on Long Lake in 2007. Responsible, but not remorseful.

Hard to say whether LaPointe, who has a long history of motor vehicle violations, would have been stopped by a similar operation pre-2007, but it’s worth every effort law enforcement can muster to prevent another drunk boating tragedy in Maine.

Will it cut down on some people’s enjoyment of boating if they can’t drink to the point of being drunk? Probably.

Is it necessary to cruise the Saco with a cooler full of beer? Probably not.

Is it the right thing to do to enforce public safety? Absolutely.

Alcohol and drugs impair judgment and reaction time for anyone operating a vehicle, on the road or along the water, endangering the rest of us for no excusable reason. 

Three cheers to Andy Whitney, Jeremy Morin and Diane Gaudreau of Woodstock for jumping in Round Pond in Greenwood Thursday to save Mildred Jackson from her submerged car.

The three worked together to wade in and then swim out to Jackson’s car, cut through her seat belt and pull the 84-year-old woman out of the car’s open window. Moments after they helped Jackson to shore, her car disappeared under water. It’s safe to say, had they not acted as quickly and cooperatively as they had, Jackson may not be alive today.

Jackson, who had been feeling tired, said she thinks she dozed at the wheel while on her way to see her doctor. Traveling around a bend on Route 26 that has troubled plenty of drivers before her, Jackson drifted onto the shoulder and hit some rocks before skidding into the pond.

Gaudreau called rescuers’ response “a great community effort.” She’s right, but it’s individual people doing the right thing that makes a community great.

And cheers to Jackson for remaining calm through the ordeal, helping rescuers help her.

Cheers to recent sportsmanship in sports.

• Who wouldn’t be grumpy after 11 hours of match play at Wimbledon, but American player John Isner and French player Nicolas Mahut were all class, grace and hugs as Isner prevailed after three exhausting days of play. That class and grace extended to members of the audience, the line judges and various umpires as they all witnessed or participated in what is officially the longest match in history. Jolly good sports, all.

• There will always be angst over umpire Jim Joyce’s call in the June 2 Detroit-Cleveland game, but both Joyce and Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga were good sports about the injustice. Joyce apologized to Galarraga; Galarraga hugged Joyce. While not (officially) a perfect game, it was a pretty good display of sportsmanship.

• And, then there’s golfer Brian Davis’ decision to call a two-stroke penalty on himself — even though no one saw him hit a loose reed during his backswing — in a playoff hole at the Verizon Heritage tournament last April. By punishing himself, he handed opponent Jim Furyk the win (and the winning $1,026,000 check).

At the time, Furyk acknowledged to ESPN that it was awkward for Davis to lose what could have been his first PGA tournament that way, “and a little awkward for me to win.”

Awkward, but honorable in a game where personal honor is paramount.

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