Up here in Maryland, this weekend is the official start of the boating season. Which means people riding wave runners at 40 mph jumping wakes and cutting off other boats. Here is a youtube video of what can happen when someone driving a RIB gets careless. How many of YF's members have had this almost happen to them? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2MOQp4-rXQ&feature=related
He came very close to getting sliced-up and bleeding to death. Idiotic maneuver aside, always use a kill-switch.
If that was me helping him, I would of done everything in my power to make sure he got to visit the court house to take his licence away, and some. What a f@#king idiot. Nothing worse than those cowboys on the water, and yes always use a kill-switch. Far
Er, a bit guilty here. Once when anchored out miles, all I did was run people in and out to the dock all day. You know when you get bored and complacent as a teenager, you try new things to brighten your day. Here's a tip. Do not put a very large German Engineer with his toolkit in your RIB and then take off from the boarding ladder with your right foot on the control. Barefoot dexterity on the outboard twisty control is not the smartest thing to do. My foot slipped, full power on and the nose went up, engineer and toolkit slid to the ass-end. Panic snatch to the control saved the day but for the next 4 years the look, whenever I helmed the RIB, from that crewmember was not one of total trust.
Not needed in the UK, where this clip is from, to have any kind of ticket to take a boat out. Some of us have spent $$$1000's to take the UK Yachtmaster ticket, both Power and Sail, which is respected all over the world. Britain is the only country within Europe where a ticket is not required, that'll soon change I'm sure.
Hi, Don't worry guys there is a special Olympic Type competition for those residents of the shallow end of the gene pool. You can see were some of them manage to get placed here: http://www.darwinawards.com/
bit of a contradiction mate ... UK ticket respected all over the world ... yet the only country in Europe where it's not required ... strange ...
The question is do you want more rules and regulations from a faceless govement body or do you think a bit of common sense should be used. Most users of a boat, the bloke at the helm, will point out simple rules to anyone new on board. Lifejackets are here, radio on Ch16 for emergencies and please try not to stick your head into the props while they are spinning. Good Skippers tend to do this as a greeting when guests come aboard and make it part of the trip, like trying not to block the toilet or aiming the Jetski at the middle of Larry Ellison's new boat (I forgot to mention that one once).
Spend some time on the water in the US, especially in south Florida, and you'll yearn for a little government involvement. In most of the US, though it's slowly changing, all it takes to get out on the water is money. If the boat is yours, or loaned to you by the owner, no qualifications at all are required to drive it. I've driven a 50 footer through south Florida a couple of times and after a while it's just like you're on a motorcycle, your head is constantly swiveling to see where the next threat is coming from. Since driving a boat is more complicated than driving a car I think states ought to require at least the same level of training to drive a boat on public waterways as they do to drive a car on public roads.
Being on a boat gives some people the thought the boat is their own little sovereign country. Go as fast as you want, drink as much as you want and be as reckless as you want; all without consequence. Wave runner and dingy deaths are unfortunately becoming more common place these days. Back in my Coast Guard Auxiliary days I always dreaded the call from the CG station ordering us to go a wave runner accident. People forget boats don't have brakes or air bags and pier pilings are not rubber.
In Australia they made it so you have to have a separate licence to operate a jet ski, to many people were getting hurt if not losing their lives... also known as a temporary Australian. A mate of mine got a ski boat for a present, 19’ with a 225hp on the back capable of 65knts, anyway the family has a history of being cowboys... living it up. We were out one day, and coming up behind a ferry and he thought we could have a little fun crossing the wake... the f##king idiot got the speed and angle all wrong and we nearly rolled the boat when coming back down... too much money, and no brains. So I have no time for it, or him. People need time on the water and experience with different vessels. If the government made it harder to operate one of these vessels, they would find if will minimise these cowboys coming into this lifestyle. A weapon ski boat is a lot different from a 49er, and a jet ski. Cheers Far
here in singapore we have the PPCDL - Pleasure Power Craft Driving License. But it's pretty useless as it does not dish out common sense ... it's not that common ... I've had more than my share of boaters just being downright dangerous & then look at you like WTF did I do ...