Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post - New to boating...shocked safety course not mandatory!

Aquadeziac · 08-05-2005, 08:29 PM

In reading through this thread I can see that "Safety/ Education is a good thing as long as: 1) It doesn't inconvenience someone and 2) The Lake communities don't lose any of the Almighty Tourist Dollars." Whats the going rate for a human life nowadays? Whats an acceptable number of deaths or injuries to offset the Tourist Income? I bet Mr Hartman's family won't be spending as much money in the area. And did we ever ascertain if Mr Littlefield was a Safety Certified Boater? How about the people that got hit head-on near Eagle Island a while back? Is that an acceptable injury?
Last Wednesday I was entering the Channel from Paugus Bay on my jetski, idling, in the No Wake Zone when what to my wondering eyes should appear from behind me, but a Baja 32' so new there weren't even bow numbers on it yet. It never even slowed till it was way past me bobbing viciously in their wake. And what did i see from the rear of the boat? Two guys in their bolster seats with a third guy, that I can only assume by his dress to be a salesman, trying to stand between said seats. When they finally slowed down (well into the NWZ), where did they go? You got it, Channel Marine. And the obvious salesman never made any motion to the driver about not having slowed down when he came past the bouy. All he wanted was to see that driver's fresh new hull numbers on that boat. Whats wrong with that picture?
I totally agree with everything Misty Blue said (with the exception of lumping me with the rest of the jetskiers

) I own a boat and a jetski and drive them both as I would expect others to. I consider myself a safe and contientious boater. I believe you should have to do more than write to the address on the back of a matchbook to be certified (what the video and online test amount to), and the severity of the penalty needs to be steep enough to make you think twice (affect your driver's license, ins. rates, impounded boat/watercraft), and if the boneheads are not smart enough to think, then its worked and its a safer lake. Can you say "Zero Tolerance"?

08-05-2005, 08:29 PM	#35
Aquadeziac Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Concord NH Posts: 239 Thanks: 19 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts	In reading through this thread I can see that "Safety/ Education is a good thing as long as: 1) It doesn't inconvenience someone and 2) The Lake communities don't lose any of the Almighty Tourist Dollars." Whats the going rate for a human life nowadays? Whats an acceptable number of deaths or injuries to offset the Tourist Income? I bet Mr Hartman's family won't be spending as much money in the area. And did we ever ascertain if Mr Littlefield was a Safety Certified Boater? How about the people that got hit head-on near Eagle Island a while back? Is that an acceptable injury? Last Wednesday I was entering the Channel from Paugus Bay on my jetski, idling, in the No Wake Zone when what to my wondering eyes should appear from behind me, but a Baja 32' so new there weren't even bow numbers on it yet. It never even slowed till it was way past me bobbing viciously in their wake. And what did i see from the rear of the boat? Two guys in their bolster seats with a third guy, that I can only assume by his dress to be a salesman, trying to stand between said seats. When they finally slowed down (well into the NWZ), where did they go? You got it, Channel Marine. And the obvious salesman never made any motion to the driver about not having slowed down when he came past the bouy. All he wanted was to see that driver's fresh new hull numbers on that boat. Whats wrong with that picture? I totally agree with everything Misty Blue said (with the exception of lumping me with the rest of the jetskiers ) I own a boat and a jetski and drive them both as I would expect others to. I consider myself a safe and contientious boater. I believe you should have to do more than write to the address on the back of a matchbook to be certified (what the video and online test amount to), and the severity of the penalty needs to be steep enough to make you think twice (affect your driver's license, ins. rates, impounded boat/watercraft), and if the boneheads are not smart enough to think, then its worked and its a safer lake. Can you say "Zero Tolerance"? __________________ "He who dies with the most toys wins"