Licensing Proposal Draws Strong Opposition

My suggestion last week that that recreational boaters be licensed got a strong reaction from Harry Monahan, head of government relations for the Southern California Marine Assn.

Monahan wrote in a letter that he was “shocked” by my recommendation to impose “an ineffectual licensing system on every boater in the state as retaliation against the actions of two inconsiderate boat drivers.”

He was referring to two drivers of a high-performance power boat who played tag with my sailboat’s bow and stern off Newport Beach harbor’s mouth. Monahan wondered whether I had seen the boat’s CF numbers and name and whether I’d reported the incident to the Coast Guard or the harbor patrol. I was too preoccupied and did not get the chance.

Monahan said the agencies probably couldn’t do anything directly about this incident, but suggested that they “could find ways to advise the owners that these will be marked boats henceforth to be watched by the patrol in the future.”

That may well be, but there is little to restrain inexperienced boaters from creating hazardous situations on the high seas. Anyone can buy a boat and begin operating it in complete ignorance of the elements of good seamanship, not to mention courtesy on the water. Every skipper of commercial vessels is licensed by the Coast Guard, but skippers of recreational boats are not.

Opposition to the licensing of recreational boaters is strong and widespread. Monahan expressed part of that opposition: “The industry association and the boat owner associations, such as the National Boating Federation and Recreational Boaters of California, have long been in agreement that operator licensing would serve no useful purpose to improve boating safety. The declining accident and death rates in boating attest that the emphasis on education and enforcement has been effective. Certainly the carnage on the nation’s highways is no endorsement for the effectiveness of licensing.”

He pointed out that state boating associations work together to improve the educational and enforcement systems. “Even now we are working to develop new legislation to get tough with the alcohol abuse problem. Operator licensing is not considered an effective device in this situation,” he wrote.

Monahan mentioned a problem that developed a few years ago because of the exploding popularity of catamarans. Harbor patrols wanted to run them off the water. Instead, he said, the manufacturers jumped in and instituted courtesy education programs to resolve the problem. Boardsailers appear to be going through the same situation now. He suggested there is a need to direct a suggestion to the performance boat segment of the industry rather than involve the entire boating community.

Monahan said he will suggest to high-performance boat builders some courtesy education is considered as a step toward improving relations with the rest of the boating community.

The Sea Explorers in Dana Point Harbor, a boating club for young people sponsored by the Nautical Heritage Society of Dana Point, is seeking to expand its program for high school students, said Jim Wehan, director of sail training. He said that the opening of the $1.2-million county sea base in Dana Point’s West Basin has “greatly increased the ability of organizations like the Sea Explorers to offer fun, exciting and challenging programs.” An open informational program will be held March 5 at the Sea Base, Dana Point, at 7 p.m.

The Sea Explorers include more than 50 young men and women from 10 high schools in southern Orange County. The group has available a fleet of 45 vessels ranging in size from eight-foot sabots to a 70-foot, two-masted sailing vessel. For further information call Wehan at 493-3952.