Conference wahoo::fishing

1475.0. "Boating Safety" by 11SRUS::LUCIA (Anxiously awaiting the choppers...) Thu Aug 16 1990 11:35

"Murky Waters for Boaters", Ben Brown, USA TODAY, August 16, 1990 (copied
without permission, of course)

Taking to the water in your own boat has always seemed liberating.  Even in a
dinghy, you chard your own course, command your own ship.

But on the most popular rivers and bays, that sense of freedom has been 
undercut by other forces: overcrowding, alcohol abuse, carelessness, and 
incompetence.  And, perhaps as well, by authorities' zeal to keep the lid on
boating abuses and to raise revenues with taxes and fees that target boaters.

"We're not bothered by laws that create precedent for safety," says Fort 
Lauderdale boater Jane Cresci. "We are opposed to idiots making rules that
don't do anything for safety and discriminate against boaters."

Among the potential gripe-inducers:

-Lower speed limits and assigned areas for water skiing and personal
 water craft (jet skis)

-More frequent stops for suspected alcohol abuse and, near entry ports
 popular with smugglers, stepped-up Coast Guard boardings.

-Increased registration fees, personal property taxes, and sales and
 fuel tax.

-A new federal fee for VHF radio licenses.

-And coming soon, perhaps, the biggest regulatory step of all: boat operators
 licenses. "I predict the pressure will build for it in the next 10 years--
 maybe in five," says Minnesota's boating and safety coordinator, Kim
 Elverum.

Ironically, much of the call for regulation comes from the boaters themselves.
"They are fed up with the environment they have to boat in -- at the drunks
on the water, at the congestion, at the other guys who don't know the rules of
the road," says Mike Sciulla of the 350,000-member Boat Owners Association of
the United States.

So, with the blessings of boaters, most states have passed stiffer laws and
increased law enforcement efforts. One result: During the last Decade, 
fatalities per 100,000 boats have declined 45%. "A testament to more
regulation and more focus on safety and safe equipment," says Sciulla.

Elverum says Minnesota took a survey in 1988 and were surprised by some of the
results: "Among our boaters, 81% indicated they were bothered by the 
behavior of other boaters; 58% wanted increased penalties and more
enforcement of the law."

Generally, says Florida Marine Patrol Director Don Ellingsen, "boaters want
more enforcement" -- especially enforcement that targets alcohol abusers and
speeders in congested areas.  The problem comes with balancing fairness and
reasonableness with broad law enforcement goals.

Cresci, for instance, says her family is thinking about selling their home in
South Florida after her husband, John, was arrested and hauled into criminal
court for creating a 15-inch wake in local waters. "If you please guilty,"
she says, "you have a criminal record."

Angry yacht owners, meanwhile, are at war with the U.S. Coast Guard after their
expensive boats were torn apart of confiscated in fruitless drug searches.
Water Skiers are fighting speed limits that would all but kill their sport on
favorite lakes and rivers. And tax-weary boat owners are grumbling about fees,
such as the new $35 VHF license, that are considered more general revenue
enhancers than fee-for-services charges.

"It bothers me more and more," says Tennessee River boater John Lacik, "that
they're making a poor situation worse by taxing us for services we'll never
receive." [sounds like MA--Tim]

State tax collectors like to target boaters, too.  According to a 1986 survey 
by BOAT/US, "There are almost as many different charges as there are states.
While some boaters pay a nominal fee to boat in their home states, others may
lay out several hundred dollars for the same right."

All this pressure and expense leaves boaters with a familiar choice: Is the
experience worth it?

Apparently so.  Tough new boat sales are down nationwide, boat registrations
have increased by about 400,000 every year in the last decade.  Maybe it's just
realism.

"Free and unfettered us of the waterways? That's gone the way of the Model T,"
says BOAT/US's Sciulla. And despite all the worries about carelessness and
incompetence, most boaters appear willing to obey regulations.

It's a good thing.  If even a significant minority of the USA's 18 million
boaters thumbed their noses at the law, there could never be enough cops to
catch them. Florida, for instance, has only about 500 officers patrolling 1,350
miles of coastline, 3 million acres of lakes and ponds and 11,000 miles of
rivers and streams. In Michigan, about the same number are responsible for
39,000 square miles of water.

Fortunately, says Michigan marine safety officer Eric Olsen, "You're not
dealing with bank robbers and derelicts here. You're dealing with honest 
people, with people who, when they break the law, don't realize what they're
doing is wrong"

-----------------------

Box Statistics: A look at boating, safety figures across the USA

Est. # boats:                                 17.8 million
% of boats under 16':                         52.65
% of boats 16'-26':                           43.59
% of boats 26'+:                              3.76
Most typical hull:                            fiberglass (53.9%)
Most typical power:                           Outboard (more than 80%)
Fatality rate per 100,000 boats in '89:       5
Fatality rate per 100,000 boats in '79:       10.1
Length of boat in most accidents:             16'-26'
Length of boat in most fatalities:            <16'
Most typical accident:                        Collision with another boat
Accident most likely to cause fatalities:     Capsizing
Most frequent cause of accidents:             improper lookout
Most common age group of operators:           26-50
Month most accidents happen:                  July
Day of week most accidents happen:            Sunday
Time of day most accidents happen:            14:30-16:30

    
        Well I thought I would pit in a note from an incident that happened
    yesterday.
    
       My wife and I had finished our fishing for the day and we headed
    back to the launch. we were about 100 foot from the launch and there
    is a creek channel to the left of the launch, We see this 8-10 foot
    speed boat comming right at us, I stopped they passed in front of us
    and about 50 feet past us the kid lost control of the boat and it went
    into a spin and ended up heading straight at us.he got the boat stopped 
    about 20 feet from me.
    
       I started yelling at them and they took off, well it p*ssed me off
    so bad I called the sodus coast guard and had the sherrif come over 
    they took all the information and started pulling away when  saw the
    kids come around the point and I told the sherrif "there they are" and
    then they chased them down.
    
      I was loading the boat on the trailer and the sherrifs boat pulls up 
    and the two kids right behind them. the sherrif comes over and say's
    well we didnt see the incident but I tslked to him and put the fear of
    god in him, but its up to you what you want to do. I said Id like to
    ound the **** outa him.
    
      We ended up having a lengthy talk about boating safety and
    responsibility of operating a boat. and the best part was at the end
    the sherrif tells the kid if you ever see this boat again youd better
    steer clear because next time this guy may take care of the problem
    himself.
    
       My wife was really shook up, I would of never been able to get out
    of their way it all happened so fast probably in 10-15 seconds and when
    they were doing about 40-45mph. you dont have time to react and a boat
    doesnt have brakes like a car.
    
      It was kinda funny the kid stood behind the sherrif the whole time he
    must of thought I was going to deck him right there on the dock. I was
    kinda pissed at the sherrifs dept for not writing a citation there were
    plenty of witnesses to the incident, but at least maybe it slowed the
    kids down yesterday, and if it saves 1 boating accident then its worth
    it to me.
    

It must have beed a full moon or something.

Yesterday I fished on lake Cochituate (lake urine) in Natick.  In case
you don't know.  This lake is made up of three lakes.  The spped limit
is 22 MPH.  In North lake 5mph on weekends. and in South 22 unless you
are pulling a skier.   Well of course the onlyone who follows the limit
are the guys in the tournament.

The FU**en skiers all day in south lake drive as close as they can 
to the fisherman on the weedsl ines along the shore.  We had one
boat that just keep going up and down the shore less than 10 yards from us
each time.

After we yelled at them many times I tossed a rattle trap at the skier.  (missed
by inches!!)  I figured they would see how far we could cast and give us some 
room.  Well next pass the skier tries to spray us and wipes.  Well we layinto
him  gave him all kinds of shit.  told him about the laws of passing
within 150' of anouther boat on plane.  When the boat came over my non-boater
pulls his badge (deputy from the jail) wrote down there numbers, and told them
if they come by a again we will kick the shit outoff them then bust them.
Well they gave us all kinds of room after that.

About an hour later a nice ski boat does the same fuc*ken thing. (but two nice
female types in thong swim suits made it barable)  well there skier wipes out
Then out of the shore comes an other boat no spotter going to crush the guy in
the water.  He is tryin to get under but the vest is holding him up.
The nice ski boat pulls one of the best boat moves I ever saw. He pins it 
gets on plane pulls a 180 around his skier and power slides into the path of
the other boat.  (would have suck to see the female types reck those suits)
The other boats skier drops of and the boat just missed em..  close enought
for the wave to swamp the boat.

In the mean time back to the ranch we are hangin on for dear life as
the boats waves go over the front deck.   Well that kills the
day for us.  We move to the north lake and the 5mph  (that only the fisherman
did) and relexed.

Bassin Bob