New Rules For Boaters

[safeboater]

The state of California wants everyone to have a license before getting behing the wheel. to see the whole story go to http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/s...4.45cf200.html

[SEMIJim]

Link is busted. Found it, but site requires registration. They can bite me.

Jim

[wwilson]

Originally Posted by safeboater

The state of California wants everyone to have a license before getting behing the wheel.

Yes- NJ has started a similar program. It requires all boaters in their waters to be licensed! It leaves undefined, what boaters from states not requiring licensing are to do. I spent a few hours this winter and got licenses from both Maryland and Virginia even though my "advanced years" exclude me from needing the licenses in my home waters.

I will edit this post with a link to the particulars from the SCCA Forum when their site comes back up from maintenance.

Wayne

[paulk]

Since at least 1994 the State of Connecticut has required powerboat operators to pass a boating safety test in order to obtain a "Safe Boating Certificate" card. It is administered by the Department of Motor Vehicles, though sailing schools and the Power Squadron offer classes aimed at getting people to pass it. So far, sailboats with engines off don't require one. I guess they figure sailors know what they're doing already.

[camaraderie]

Safeboater...I note that all of your posts have to do with boating safety. Do you have some sort of personal interest?

[jephotog]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Safeboater...I note that all of your posts have to do with boating safety. Do you have some sort of personal interest?

Maybe he is the Govenator and it is a ploy to charge for the licenses to help alleviate the states economic crises.

[irwin325cc]

If California legalizes "mary jane" aka pot, aka weed, aka wacky tabbacy maybe they wouldn't have to try to raise more state revenue by taxing/licensing the so-called "rich" boaters. The aftermath would be the boating community may not get harrased as often by the Coast Guard on the boarder of Mexico, cause the importation of pot would not be as much. So it should be win/win/win. (State of California/boaters/smokers)
Don't look past what the licensing is. It's not a way of making sure that boaters are skilled and safe. It's just another taxation on the already struggling boating community.
I'm not a die hard legalize pot movement type but there is huge potential to raise state income just as Nevada has the much needed income that comes from gambling and the other legal shady profession in thaty state. Or they could stop restricting all the enviromental items and over-taxation that are running off and resticting all the huge tax paying \ buisnesses.

[scottyt]

cam i think safeboater might be somebody's alter ego. they dont want to spoil their normal screen name with safety posts. or just they wanted too

i could see smacky doing it, just so we all think he is still a bonehead, not a safety conscience person

edit i think safe boater is from cali, this post is about cali rules and a couple other of his/her posts also mention cali

[FishFinder]

Yeah that's fine but then everyone in the CA legislature should have to be "licensed" to run a state.

And now because they are down to handing out IOU's, they're harassing me, trying to get sales tax for my boat. I left CA this year, moved onto my boat in Washington. Boat has never been/will never go to California, somehow CA found out about the boat. I sent them my WA State registration documents to prove I wasn't responsible for CA taxes but that wasn't good enough apparently. Now they want receipts from boat operation and copies of logbook entries!? Bunch of clowns.

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Safeboater...I note that all of your posts have to do with boating safety. Do you have some sort of personal interest?

FYI, Safeboater is affiliated with the "Boat Responsibly" campaign from the California Department of Boating and Waterways. .

A quick perusal of their website suggests they are mainly involved with educating powerboaters, houseboaters, and PWCs about VERY BASIC boating safety -- tailored for beginners primarily operating on inland waters, in my opinion.

I found little material that would be particularly helpful to sailors. In fact, their "Rules of the Road" page seems to do a disservice to sailors by oversimplifying the rules and thereby potentially giving novice operators of powered vessel the mistaken impression that they have no obligation to yield to vessels under sail under certain circumstances when they do.

Propagating that kind of incorrect and incomplete information can lead to serious accidents, which it would seem is contrary to the CDBW's mission and the overall gist of Safeboater's posts here on Sailnet. I have no problem with Safeboater posting here on Sailnet, but the sailors who visit this site should understand the perspective from which Safeboater's information is being delivered.

Originally Posted by FishFinder

Yeah that's fine but then everyone in the CA legislature should have to be "licensed" to run a state.