News & Views for Southern Sailors - Southwinds Magazine

FROM THE HELM
Mandatory Life Jackets Again
They are at it again.
BoatUS reported in June that the National Boating Safety
Advisory Council advised the U.S. Coast Guard to pursue
regulations requiring life jackets be mandatory for adults on
powerboats under 18 feet. That means than when you take
your dinghy from boat to shore, whether its 20 feet or 500
feet, you must wear your life jacket—whether it’s hurricaneforce
winds or so calm that the no-see-ums and love bugs are
landing everywhere, and the water is so placid that you can
see your own reflection clearly. To me, it is obvious why the
Coast Guard and other marine patrol groups want this law: It
is less work for them and it won’t cost a penny (actually, they can
make money on fines). Whether or not it is the right thing to
do for our rights on the water appears to be of no concern, or
at least it is only to the five council members who voted
against the 16 who voted for the proposal
And again—as this ridiculous idea seems to crop up
every few years—they cite poorly interpreted statistics to
defend their proposals. The government stated that 82-million
people participated in boating in 2010, with 736 dying
(one in approximately every 111,000 people—pretty damn
low). Using those statistics, they state that 71 lives could be
saved each year with just a 70 percent wear rate, as though
all boating is the same. They always state that the majority
of deaths are caused by people who were not wearing jackets.
How about the statistics they don’t publicize, like how
many of those were powerboaters going too fast (many
while drinking), who were unknowledgeable about boats in
general, or who were just plain stupid How many were
sailing How many were riding dinghies going five knots,
or even 10 What’s the death rate in those situations Do the
rest of us have to suffer because of the idiotic few Or is it
the idiotic few who are promoting this
We need more education, but that will cost money.
Instituting a new law on life jackets won’t cost anything
once the law is passed. It will be an easy and simple solution,
that will help very few people and make very many
pay for it. Most accidents are on powerboats by people who
don’t know what they are doing, and we read about them
every day. We will never eliminate all the deaths, but we can
cut way back on them by educating people about boats—
ending the belief that anyone can go out there and safely run
a powerful small powerboat with an engine capable of
pushing the boat at 25 knots and more without any boating
knowledge. It will cost, but what doesn’t I say spend lots of
money on it. (Along with that, how about more money on
dredging inlets and the ICW)
I again will repeat what I have written many times
before when this stupid idea surfaces: If it passes, I will start
a T-shirt company that has orange vests painted on it. The
rest of the shirt will be skin colored (with a light tan, of
course). I will make a fortune and retire in some country
where I won’t have to wear a life jacket.
I was hoping the Coast Guard was smarter than to promote
such an unpopular idea—and I hope they still are, as
it’s not finalized yet, but how about a Coast Guard admiral
coming out against this proposal—against mandatory life
jackets for adults (except in very limited cases). Don’t we
need a Coast Guard leader who promotes our rights and not
just their interests of less work
Cowboy Boots on Board
STEVE MORRELL, EDITOR
On our June cover the C&C 35, Long Bow, was pictured
(photo by Charleston writer/photographer Dan Dickison),
and the crewmember on the starboard stern quarter had his
leg hanging over the edge with what looked like cowboy
boots on. Got my curiosity up, as did a few others who commented
to me, so I looked into it and contacted the owner
about it, who put me in touch with Ben Francis, the
crewmember wearing the boots. It turns out that those are—
and I quote—“proper yachting boots”—and somewhat
commonly worn in England, where Ben is from, and also in
nearby Ireland, where the boots are made. Ben was surprised
about the reaction; well, let’s use his words: “My
boots caused quite a stir. I really thought just about everyone
wore them. They are made by a company called
Dubarry in Ireland. They are very well thought of and long
lasting. My pair have about 90,000 nautical miles on them!”
For those interested, go to www.dubarry.com. It
appears they are known the world over, just not so much in
Charleston, SC.
Anchoring Protest off Miami Beach:
Boaters Needed
Wally Moran will be holding an “Anchor Fest” against the
city of Miami Beach as a protest against the city, which
instructed its police to ask him to move his boat at the
request of a local waterfront landowner—even though the
police politely acknowledged they had no right to do so.
Read about what happened in “Letters,” and show up if you
can. Please send letters and photos if you make it there.
8 July 2011 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com