The public are being urged to adhere to safety advice at all times by the Bermuda Water Safety Council after marine incidents over the holiday weekend.

Their reminder comes after four people were taken to hospital as part of seven marine incidents on Sunday — four of which were in the area of the Non-Mariners Race in Mangrove Bay.

“We want to remind people at all times — the summer is not over yet — to adhere to safety advice,” Ralph Richardson, chairman of the BWSC, told The Royal Gazette.

He stressed that this was particularly important for captains and boat operators, who were responsible for the safety of their passengers.

Meanwhile, Lisa Siese, the non-secretary of the Society of Non-Mariners, said they were “very pleased” to have had a “very incident-free event”.

She stressed that the society only organised the race, adding that the raft-up “is really quite separate”, with the society having no control over “what goes on in the water”.

She added that many of the participants in the annual raft-up did not come into the Sandys Boat Club or even knew the race was taking place.

According to the Maritime Operations Centre, the RCC (Rescue Co-ordination Centre) Bermuda was contacted at 4.20pm by the Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service about an unconscious man being recovered from the water in the Mangrove Bay area and needing to be transferred to shore by Marine Police.

The unit was dispatched and the man was taken to Watford Bridge for transfer to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

In a separate incident at 5.12pm, “unruly behaviour on board a local tour boat in the Mangrove Bay area resulted in the stabbing of one individual and the need for urgent police assistance in restoring order and transfer of the injured party to Watford Bridge Ferry Dock”. At 8.25pm, BMOC received an emergency call from “a frustrated boater” on board Twist of Faith, reporting that a male passenger had not been seen since 2pm and that the vessel had since departed the Mangrove Bay area without the missing man.

Police reported that the man, who had suffered a head injury and was in urgent need of medical attention, had been located at a King’s Point residence. He was taken to hospital by ambulance.

Meanwhile, at 12.45pm a member of the public reported that a 19ft boat, Xipper Tomcat, was disabled between Hawkins Island and Watford Bridge. None of the boats in the area responded to calls for assistance. The vessel was later spotted under tow to Mangrove Bay.

The 34ft Lap Dance also requested assistance after breaking down in the Great Sound shortly after 6pm. A tow was arranged but the engine was restarted and the boat continued “under own steam to St George’s Harbour”.

A 31-year-old woman suffering “sunstroke and possible alcohol consumption” had to be taken to hospital, with tour boat Brightstar II contacting Bermuda Radio at 5.45pm to arrange her transfer to shore and requesting an ambulance from the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

And at 8.02pm, Bermuda Radio received a call from Shernelle Marie, reporting that one of its two engines had failed. The 32ft vessel with 15 people on board was able to make its way back from North Shore to St David’s, arriving safely just after 11pm.