Power boats and spectator boats passed within mere feet of each other this weekend as mariners reportedly ignored warnings to stay off the Around the Island course.A reader sent The Royal Gazette several pictures showing power boats in Sunday’s race speeding around spectator boats in the area between Five Star Island and Riddell’s Bay.Bermuda Power Boat Association (BPBA) Commodore Paul Wellman said that he heard several complaints about spectating boats encroaching on the course, despite repeated warnings.“The spectator boats were warned before the race. They were warned in advance in the newspaper and on the radio to stay away from the racetrack,” Mr Wellman said.“We try to do it every year. We tell the public, and we try to keep the public back. A lot of them I guess didn’t abide by what we told them.“The marine police unit was there and trying to assist us as they have in the past, but people were still coming by the track when the race was on.”A Police Spokesman said that Marine Police Unit spoke to several mariners about safety concerns, but did not ticket any boaters for infringing on the course.“The Marine Police Unit used the race as an opportunity to educate the mariners as to best practices and also how to be better stewards of the water,” the spokesman said.“They educated mariners as to where they should be and got them out of the way.”Mr Wellman said that the BPBA will again encourage the public to keep a safe distance from the racecourse next year and work with Marine Police, saying that a collision could have devastating consequences.“We would once again like to again ask boaters to stay away from the racetrack,” he said. “It’s only for an hour, and it could prevent a tragedy.”