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Every day we get email asking us all kinds of questions. Who has the best fireworks? How much does a slip cost in California? Where can I rent a boat in Annapolis? But those from first time boaters are disturbing. People taking small boats onto big water without training or experience can be dangerous to themselves, their passengers and other boaters.
I guess there is a little anarchist somewhere inside me because I resist government interference routinely. And so I resist the thought of licensing boaters, but so far this July 4th weekend 9 people have died in boating accidents. These accidents happened in fair weather and were the result of inexperience. Could you imagine your teenage child jumping into a tractor-trailer and cruising around the Washington DC beltway without ever having driven before? Can you imagine doing it yourself? How about in a snow storm? Would you jump into an airplane and take off without any instruction? Well it happens all the time on the water and once you leave the dock you can't pull over and get out.
So I'm asking everyone thinking about getting in a boat to at least take a boating safety course.
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Both the
United States Power Squadron and the
Coast Guard Auxiliary offer excellent courses. These classes will give you very basic skills, preparing you to venture out in fair weather and calm water. More importantly you will meet other people interested in boating, have the opportunity to take more advanced courses and participate in events with more experienced sailors.
You will learn navigation, or more correctly coastal piloting, how to read a chart, determine your position and plot a course. You will learn what equipment you must have onboard and additional equipment you should have. And most importantly you will learn what to do when the weather gets bad.
So don't wait for your state to force you to go to school. Don't be the last one on your block to get a boating safety certificate. Don't be a statistic. Maybe, just maybe, our government won't need to license boaters for a little while longer.
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