mitted by the National Park
Service.
But recreational vessels
far outnumber commercial
ones in the U.S. And most
boating deaths and injuries
happen on recreational
vessels.
In a recent Coast Guard
report on recreational boat-
ing accidents in 2018, the
agency counted 633 recre-
ational boating deaths
nationwide for the year. That
was a 3.8% decrease from 2017.
Among the Coast Guard’s
findings:8 In cases where the size of
the boat was known, eight of
every 10 boaters who
drowned were aboard a
vessel less than 21 feet long.
8 In cases where cause of
death was known, 77% of
fatal boating accident vic-
tims died by drowning.
8 In cases where life-jacket
usage was known, 84% of
those who drowned were not
wearing a life jacket.
8 In 19% of deaths, alcohol
was listed as a leading con-
tributing factor.In California, the state
parks system’s Division of
Boating and Waterways
regulates each year vessels
used by recreational boaters
on the state’s rivers, lakes
and marinas, about 2.6 mil-
lion vessels. The agency’s
safety requirements vary by
size and type of vessel, but all
motorboats are required to
carry life jackets, and every
child younger than 13 must
wear a life jacket when not in
an enclosed cabin.
The agency also publishes
a set of safety guidelines
known as “ABCs of California
Boating” and offers boating
safety classes.
If you’re a passenger on a
recreational vessel, Higgins
said, look at the weather
forecast with your route in
mind.
“The weather is the most
common thing that can make
a trip very unpleasurable or
even deadly,” he said.
Make sure there are life
jackets for everyone, a fire
extinguisher, a marine radio
and a membership with an
organization that can give
commercial towing assist-
ance, if needed.
But your captain is crucial
too.
Given all that can go
wrong, “it’s crazy to think
that somebody could just buy
a boat and drive it without
any training,” Higgins said.
But until 2018 that was true in
California.
State law generally re-
quires that boaters be at
least 16 years old to operate a
vessel with a motor of more
than 15 horsepower. Until
2018, California had no specif-
ic certification or license
requirement for recreational
operators of motorized
watercraft.
Now the state is phasing
in a program that requires
boat operators to pass a
safety exam to earn a re-
quired California Boater
Card. As of Jan. 1, the require-
ment has applied to boat
operators 25 or younger. In
2020, the age threshold in-
creases to 35 years old; in 2021
to 40 years old; and so on.
The phase-in continues
through January 2025, at
which point every adult
recreational boat operator
will be subject to the require-
ments that include the safety
exam and California Boater
Card.
But there are many ex-
emptions. Anyone operating
a rental vessel, for instance, is
exempt from needing a Boat-
er Card.Authorities say it’s too
soon to know exactly what
went wrong in the cata-
strophic fire early Monday
that killed 34 people aboard
the diving boat Conception
off Santa Cruz Island, but
safety lapses may have played
a role. If you’re considering a
boat or ship excursion, ex-
perts say you can boost your
chances of a safe trip by ask-
ing questions and checking
sources listed in this article.
The thing to remember is
that when you step aboard a
vessel, “you are leaving the
safety of land,” said John
Higgins, harbor master for
the Ventura Port District and
a 23-year Harbor Patrol veter-
an.
“You can’t dial 911 and
somebody gets there in three
to five minutes the way they
do on land,” he said.
The best way to stay safe,
Higgins said, is to be vigilant
when evaluating a commer-
cial boat or ship, and be dou-
bly vigilant if you’re consider-
ing a recreational vessel.Ask these questions
If you’re going out on a
commercial vessel, Higgins
said, “the key things really are
understanding where you’re
going, what the distance
offshore is and working with
reputable companies. Repu-
table companies all go
through an annual Coast
Guard inspection. Their
vessels are documented. The
captains are licensed.”
If you’re standing on the
dock and deciding on the
spot, ask to see the vessel’s
certificate of inspection,
which will tell you when it was
last inspected and approved
by the U.S. Coast Guard. The
Coast Guard requires com-
mercial vessel operators to
keep a valid certificate of
inspection aboard and acces-
sible.
Once you know a vessel’s
name, you can check its his-tory and details through a
U.S. Coast Guard database
known as the Port State
Information Exchange
(cgmix.uscg.mil/PSIX). To
start, click on “PSIX Vessel
Search,” then type in the
vessel’s name. You can nar-
row the search if you know
what nation’s flag the vessel
is sailing under.
In some cases, the data-
base can tell you a lot. For
instance, if you search for the
ship Carnival Horizon, you’ll
see that it was built in 2018,
sails under the Panamanian
flag, is 1,062 feet long and
received its most recent
Coast Guard Certificate of
Compliance (good for a year)
on May 18.
If you click “summary of
Coast Guard contacts,” you’ll
find an investigation activity
report showing the death of a
passenger by natural causes
on July 6.
Coast Guard records may
not tell you much about
smaller vessels. That’s why
it’s wise to be alert in scan-
ning the web and eyeballing
the vessel on the dock.“What does their website
look like?” Higgins asked.
“Do they have uniforms? Are
the vessels visually in a good
state?”
Higgins also suggested
that consumers browse a
company’s reviews on Yelp,
Travelocity and TripAdvisor
and steer clear of “go-out-on-
my-yacht” offers on Craigslist
or similar informal for-sale
sites.
If you’re uncertain about a
company, Higgins said, it
can’t hurt to call the local
Harbor Patrol and ask
whether the company is a
known entity.
Some other questions to
ask: How old is the company
and how much experience
does it have with this itiner-
ary? How much experience
do the captain and crew have,
and how long have they been
with the company?Recreational boats
In the case of the Santa
Cruz Island dive boat fire, the
Conception was a commer-
cial vessel inspected by the
U.S. Coast Guard and per-VISUALLYcheck out a boat before going aboard and ask for inspection records.Dirk DallasON THE SPOT CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS
Check a boat’s safety record
L2 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2019 LATIMES.COM/TRAVEL
BEFORE YOU GO
E-bikes may be coming
to national parks, trails
Motorized electric bicycles may soon be humming
their way into national parks and other public lands ,
under a new Trump administration order — opposed by
many outdoors groups — allowing e-bikes on every fed-
eral trail where a regular bike can go.
Sales of the bikes are booming, and some aging or less
fit people have sought the rule change.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed the order
without fanfare late last month, classifying e-bikes as
nonmotorized bikes.
“Reducing the physical demand to operate a bicycle
has expanded access to recreational opportunities,” the
order said.
More than 50 hiking, horseback riding and other out-
door and conservation associations, including the Pacific
Crest Trail Assn., objected in a July letter to the Interior
Department saying the administration acted to funda-
mentally change the nature of national parks with little or
no public notice or study.
“If you’re hiking on a trail in Utah and you’re rounding
a bend and something’s coming at you at 20 mph, that
really changes the experience,” said Kristen Brengel, a
vice president of the National Parks Conservation Assn.,
a nonprofit that advocates for the national park system.
— Associated Press
Are cruise ships now destinations?
If you’re a fan of cruising, new ships keep rolling out
with bigger and better amenities. But would you include
any on a list of the world’s greatest places? Time
magazine did. It chose seven ships in its second annual
list of 100 Great Places to Visit.
The ships joined an array of places including two new
destinations: Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and
Arts District Firehouse Hotel, Los Angeles.
The ships:
Celebrity Edge, a cutting-edge vessel that debuted in De-
cember.
Norwegian Joy, which occasionally sails from the Port of
Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera.
Guntu, a 266-foot Japanese floating hotel
AmaMagna, a new river cruise ship on which more than
half its cabins are suites.
Ecoventura Theory, a 20-passenger yacht that has a Re-
lais & Châteaux affiliation.
American Song, the newest of the American Cruise Lines
fleet.
Seabourn Ovation, which has a private club atmosphere.
— Rosemary McClure
NEED TO KNOW
SEA MOUNTAIN NUDE RESORTSSEA MOUNTAIN NUDE RESORTS
Las Vegas and Palm SpringsLas Vegas and Palm SpringsNUDE LUXURY CLUB RESORTS SPASNUDE LUXURY CLUB RESORTS SPAS
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ultimate celebrity secretultimate celebrity secret
http://www.spalv.comwww.spalv.comContact a AAA Travel Agent or visit the website below
for additional information.CALL: 1-800-453-9125
CLICK:AAA.com/GoAlaska
VISIT:your local Auto Club branch
(^1) Guests will have two weeks from the date of the On Stage Alaska®Travel Show to take advantage of the up to $450 in booking bonuses offer. To obtain the maximum $450 booking bonuses
offer, book a qualifying Alaska Land+Sea journey plus receive the Onboard Value Offer valued at more than $350. Offers, including booking deadline, subject to change without notice. Applies
to all Alaska cruises and Land+Sea Journeys: Onboard Credit (OBC) and Denali Dollars are in U.S. Dollars, are nonrefundable, nontransferable, have nocashvalue,applytonew2020bookings
only and are available to first and second guests sharing a stateroom only. Combinable with Signature & Savings Fares, standard and concessioned groups, select promotional fares and AAA
MAP&AMEXcardholderpromotions.NotcombinablewithCruiseNightorCSpromotions.Notapplicabletothirdandfourthguests.CruiseOnlyOBC:OBCamountisbasedonstateroomcategory
booked and length of voyage. 7-day cruises receive: Inside: $17.50 per person (maximum $35 per stateroom), Ocean View: $25 per person (maximum $50 perstateroom), Verandah: $37.50 per
person(maximum$75perstateroom)andSuites:$50perperson(maximum$100persuite).14-daycruisesreceive:Inside:$25perperson(maximum$50perstateroom),OceanView:$37.50per
person(maximum$75perstateroom),Verandah:$50perperson(maximum$100perstateroom)andSuites:$75perperson(maximum$150persuite).Land+SeaJourneys:OBCandDenaliDollar
amount isbased on stateroom category bookedand typeof Land+Sea Journey. Denali Land+SeaJourneysD1-D9receive $25 in Denali Dollars perperson (maximum $50 per stateroom) plus the
followingOBC:InsideandOceanView:$25perperson(maximum$50perstateroom),Verandah:$37.50perperson(maximum$75perstateroom)andSuites:$50perperson(maximum$100per
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stateroom), Verandah: $37.50 per person (maximum $75 per stateroom) andSuites: $50 per person (maximum $100 per suite). One Onboard Value Offer: Willbe delivered to passenger during
cruise. Applies to passenger one and two only, in a stateroom/suite. Offer is nonrefundable, nontransferable and has no cash value.^2 50% Reduced Deposit: For applicable departures only. All
Land+SeaJourneysrequireadepositof$600perperson.Alaskacruisesrequireadepositof$350perpersonfor7-daycruisesand$600perpersonfor14-daycruises.Bookingsmadeonvoyages
requiringimmediatefinalpaymentarenoteligibleforreduceddeposit.AskyourAAATravelAgentfordetails.
Unless otherwise indicated:Rates quoted are accurate at time of publication & are per person, based on double occupancy. Airfare, taxes, fees, surcharges, gratuities, transfers & excursions
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forHollandAmericaLineandisamotorclubwithaprincipalplaceofbusinessat3333FairviewRoad,Costa
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Valdez, Alaska
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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 •6:00PM
Autry Museum
4700 Western Heritage Way•Los Angeles, CA 90027
Turn on the fan
I do hand wash only if I
am staying more than one
day at a hotel and then I do
it only on the first night so it
has time to dry. If you leave
the fan on in the bathroom
and close the door, the
clothes will dry overnight. If
you put your clothes that
tend to wrinkle between
layers of dry-cleaner bags,
they essentially do not
wrinkle.
Catherine Luciano
TorranceFabric is key
Dress in clothes made
only of man-made fibers,
because Mother Nature
designed natural fibers
(cotton, wool, etc.) to retain
maximum moisture. Man-
made fiber will dry faster,
retain less dirt and stains,
and remain less wrinkled.
Pack a dark washcloth to
sponge dark clothes without
leaving obvious lint.
Fold pants, shorts, etc.,
over lightweight paper towel
tubes to reduce wrinkling.
Works well and saves space
if tubes are pretty flattened.
Multiple pairs of pants can
be folded together over one
tube.
Colin Forkner
Corona del Mar::
My cardinal rule is no
cotton. That means no jeans
or cotton T-shirts. I bring
only quick-dry items of the
sort that wick away sweat. I
don’t find them to be too hot
for steamy places.
If I am headed for such a
place, I bring a lightweightskirt. I roll my clothing and I
use compression cubes.
Haven’t had much of a
problem with wrinkling.
Kathleen Battersby
Culver City::
I agree that knits are a
carry-on traveler’s best
friend, and jeans with a bit
of stretch won’t require
washing. As for wrinkles, for
years, I’ve used an environ-
mentally friendly, easy and
free solution: a small, empty
spritz bottle. When I un-
pack, I fill it with water,
spritz any wrinkled cloth-
ing, smooth out the wrinkles
and I’m good to go.
I wear a knit garment
after landing so that while
I’m out enjoying my desti-
nation, my clothes are dry-
ing and unwrinkling and
ready for the rest of my trip.
Bonnie Voland
Los AngelesJust don’t do it
Take all old underwear,
T-shirts and ratty jeans
(instead of new items), then
leave them behind. You
never have to hear your
spouse complain, “You’re
still wearing those?” Plus
your suitcase will be lighter
on the way home. If the
suitcase is old, leave it be-
hind and save bag fees by
coming home with only a
carry-on.
Daniel Dobbs
Costa MesaHang it all
When I expect to do hand
laundry on my trip, I bring
two or three wire hangers
with a few clothespins.
Hangers are more manage-
able than a clothesline, in
my opinion, but some hotels
have only hangers that
cannot be removed from the
closet.
Junko Ogihara
Culver CityReaders come clean
Too cheap to send out my laundry, too pressed for time to
sit in a commercial laundromat, I lamented my lame at-
tempts to do hand laundry on the road in the Sept. 1 On the
Spot column (“Dirty Little Secrets of Doing Hand Laundry
on the Road”) so I asked readers for their secrets of laundry
success. I cleaned up, so to speak. Here are some of their
awesome tips at bitly/ReaderLaundryTips.
— Catharine HammNational parks:A photo caption accompanying a Sept. 1
article about Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks
said the General Sherman Tree is in Kings Canyon Na-
tional Park. It is in Sequoia National Park.