Boats and Boating

Greig Holder wrote:

It is a beautiful Tuesday after the August long weekend.  Compared to the weekend, the lake is almost empty of boats.

So I was surprised while boating back to the cottage with a full load of groceries, including melting ice cream, to be stopped by the OPP for a safety check.  I was an easy target because there almost nobody else was in sight.

I had no problem because all our safety gear is in order and I had my PCOC on board.  But the officers knew I wasn't pleased. 

I really wanted to get into a discussion of where they were on the long weekend, why they didn't charge the offending boater in the accident previously mentioned, what they knew about the speed limits on our lake, etc.  But I didn't get into it because of the aforementioned deteriorating ice cream and the 20 month old grandson who was past due for lunch and hygiene attention.

I will, however, be writing to the OPP to ask some of these questions.  I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

The KLRA is involved in this topic, but I can't point to a lot of progess.  We'll keep trying, though.

 

Rather than write to the OPP, I dropped into the community policing office in Gravenhurst.  I had a good conversation with Vern Taylor, a Kahshe Lake resident, who is well aware of boating problems.  Vern helped connect me with Darcy Jibb at the OPP Bracebridge Detachment.

Darcy told me that marine patrol officers kept their own data on lake visits; there is not a central database.  Darcy talked to other officers to collect anecdotal information on patrols of Kahshe Lake this season.  What he learned was this:

• There have been at least five visits this season.
• They recorded 12 offences and numerous warnings.
• They do not issue warnings for PFDs or liquor; these always result in charges.
• About 30% of the charges involved liquor.

There are about five-to-six marine patrol officers for the entire District of Muskoka.  There are about five hundred lakes in the District, but not all are patrolled.  Kahshe is on their priority list, but some quick math results in us knowing they can't be here very often.

I asked Darcy if he knew anything about the collision with the pontoon boats in July.  He was unaware, but the responding officers would not have been part of the marine unit since the incident was late at night.  He did not understand why a charge was not laid in that incident; as he said, if there is a collision, someone is at fault.  My experience is that not all officers are knowledgeable about the Canada Shipping Act, which governs activity on water.

Greig

This is Kate Tuero, Marilyn and Tim's daughter, I just read my mother's comment and have two things to say...I have more then a welt I had a rope burn style cut that has now left me with a scar from the waist of my shorts at the front to around 1/3rd of my back where my rod snapped and allowed the line to wrap around my body. I have an image of it I was going to post but don't see a way to post an image on this board. also it seems to me that ever since this boaters card came out every idiot thinks "I guessed a few right answers after taking the test 40 times now lets go get a boat" and know nothing. It used to be that unless you knew how things worked on the water you didn't even think about driving a boat but now that they pass a test on the 100th free try they figure they know it all and can do what ever they want. 10 years ago when they came out with this card we sat in a 2 day course with an instructor and were taught what we needed to know like which side to pass on, how much room to leave between yourself and other boats and how far to stay from fisher-people as well as things you don't so much need on Kahshe but need for the bigger lakes like channel markers, how to read charts, etc. They need to charge for each time you write the test and have proper training, as well as a "road test" to prove you can drive. If the drinking and boating laws are the same as a car why shouldn't the licencing be?????