Boating – May 2018

BOAT DOCTOR /// BOAT DOC SPECIAL

h is year, my home state of California

instituted its first-ever boater card program,

which phases in mandatory boater education

over eight years, eventually requiring all

skippers to pass a state-certified boater

education course and obtain a card issued by

the state Division of Boating and Waterways.

GETTING YOUR

BOATER CARD

State boater card programs improve boating safety for everyone.

California joins more

than 40 other states and

Canada in requiring

some form of licensing

or mandatory boater

education. To provide

you with the scoop

about these programs, I

pulled up the California

Boater Card website —

californiaboatercard

.com — and fi lled out

the application, which

included a $10 payment

via credit card. The site

then referred me to a

choice of 10 approved

boating-safety courses.

I chose the free BoatU.S.

Foundation online

course, which includes

seven sections.

“This will be quick, a

slam dunk,” I thought.

That’s not exactly the

way it went down.

The introduction

indicates three to four

hours, but I spent seven

hours, including a lunch

break. You can pause

and return hours or

days later. The course

requires that you spend

a minimum amount

of time on each page,

and each of the fi rst six

sections are followed

by a 10-question quiz.

There’s a 75-question

fi nal exam. Despite

my 35 years as a boat

owner, I learned some

things. For example, I

believed that

sailboats

always

have

the

right of way. But that is

incorrect.

The course also

emphasizes that you

are allowed to ignore

such rules of the road

if it means avoiding a

collision — which is

the fi rst rule of safe

navigation.

I fi nished the

course and passed the

fi nal exam — with a 96.

Within minutes, my

temporary California

Boater Card arrived

via email, with the

permanent card on its

way via snail mail.

While the course and

test proved not very

di cult for this boating

veteran, it was tough

enough that I believe

some boaters may

fi nd it challenging to

achieve the score of 80

required to pass. Those

who don’t pass can take

the fi nal exam as many

times as necessary in

order to pass. Some

courses might also

require that you review

the material again

before each exam.

A rigorous curriculum

is a good thing, I believe.

Knowledge translates

to safety. I’ve long ad-

vocated for mandatory

boater education, and

now that I have earned

my own California

Boater Card, the

concept makes even

more sense to me.

To learn more

about boater educa-

tion for your state,

visit boatus.com

and click on “State

Education Require-

ments,” or visit

nasbla.org and click on

“Take a Boat Course.”

—Jim Hendricks

PHOTOS: (FROM TOP) COURTESY CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF BOATING AND WATERWAYS, KATHLEEN HENDRICKS