quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
quote:
Originally posted by jimmy123x:
What on earth does ex-military (except USCG) have to do with understand how to properly and safely operate a boat?
I see idiots in all sizes and types of boats as I am out on the water about 4 days a week for work. A large part of it, is they're simply inexperienced and uneducated on everything boating related. I really feel everyone should have to take a safety course in order to operate a boat.
Not everybody needs a safety course. For example, many of us are current or ex-military and have had appropriate training. There are a lot of people who grew up with boats.
Instead of a mandatory course, how about testing and licensing? You know, like aircraft, road vehicles, etc. Why should boats be any different?
People can take a course and not learn a thing. Testing,
if done correctly, can weed out (most of) the incompetent and unqualified.
It could be testing. However as a USCG 500 GT licensed Captain, that does some owner training for owners moving up where their insurance won't sign off on it. I still see lots of long time boaters, ex military, and pilots (they seem to be the worst, don't take this the wrong way, but they think they can stare into electronics for 5 minutes straight while cruising along the water at 25 knots) that have a lot of bad habits and/or they're simply really missing proper education in some areas as well as situational awareness. Or they might have a lot of experience in small boats, but they don't understand the limitations of larger boats and maneuverability characteristics of them and create unsafe situations without realizing it.
For example. I run a lot of yachts up and down the New River in Fort Lauderdale for one of the top manufacturers of Sportfish and Motoryachts in the world. I run a yacht up or down at least once a week usually. The navigable part of the New River is anywhere from 60'-150' wide with a lot of current, a lot of tight turns, a lot of boat/yacht traffic, and 5 draw bridges you need to wait for to open as well as 2 railroad bridges that go down for 20 minutes at a time, and is slow speed minimum wake. You also incur mega yachts from 100-175' under tow that may be 35' wide. One of the yachts I run for them is a 70' Sportfish with 5200 horsepower. The slowest I can operate this yacht with steerage (and limited steerage at that) is on one engine in forward gear at dead idle is 6.5 knots (without current) and most Sportfish are this way from 45'+. In a lot of the turns I will either have to swap engines for a tighter turning radius or put the opposite engine in reverse and/or use the bow thruster. I'll either get someone in a 20-30' screaming about the 6-8" wake when passing them going the opposite way(which a marine patrol officer wouldn't even look twice at) OR, they'll be in front of me, in the middle of the channel where I cannot go around them, and they'll go up the entire river against the current at 4 knots, in the middle and not allow me to pass. This creates a dangerous situation because I have to clutch it, constantly in and out of gear for several miles, and then current or wind has a lot of effect on the vessel. Or, if they're waiting for the same bridge and behind me, they'll get 10' behind me and stop. If I have to maneuver while waiting to correct for current, I can't or the prop wash will push them into a docked boat on the side because I'm swing such large propellers. Or I have to do it extremely gingerly. This happens often and the people simply don't know any better because they think it's as if they're operating a car and don't understand that a yacht actually turns from the stern (it swings) and not the bow as well as the maneuverability characteristics of a vessel larger than them. Or they don't realize that a yacht needs to be on a certain side for depth.
I see the same on no-wake zones on the intra-coastal. Now, in regards to yachts, no-wake does not mean absolutely no-wake as most yachts cannot go forward without creating a wake. It means idle speed and a wake 6-8" or less. Most yachts, even slower motor yachts at idle speed using one engine (instead of both) still do 5.5-6.5 knots because you're swinging larger propellors. They simply cannot do 3-4 knots like you can in a 20-25' at idle engine speed in gear. Everyone else on the water understands this, but many small boaters, even ones with lots of small boat experience do not.
But, there are many other situations and examples of where a simple USCG auxillary free class (or similar), would make the waterways a lot safer. I've also seen a lot of long term boaters get complacent as the years go on.
Training does help in the common sense and courtesy department as well, as they're surrounded by others taking the class.
Perhaps an option of testing out of having to take the class would be ok too.
Here's an overview of the New River with charts and aerial photos if you're curious
https://nauticnomad.com/blog/newrivernavigation/
