Canada's new boating licence a national joke

[CD]

Canada's new boating licence a national joke

Aug 13, 2009 04:30 AM
Bob Hepburn
OPINION

I admit I was seriously tempted this week to cheat on an exam. It occurred late at night while I was taking an online test for my new boating licence.

Like the 7-8 million other boaters in this country, I need the licence because, starting Sept. 15, any operator caught without one will be subject to a minimum $250 fine.

Despite my urge to cheat, I passed the test. I am now the proud holder of a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, which verifies that I am qualified – for life – to operate a power boat or jet ski anywhere in Canada.

But the truth is I'm hardly qualified to hold a "lifetime" licence.

That's because I have never driven a jet ski and I operate a boat for only a few days each summer when I am renting a cottage on a small, isolated lake near Algonquin Park.

To be blunt, my new federal boating licence is an embarrassment.

Sadly, that's what many angry boaters have concluded about the licence and the test you need to pass in order to get it.

Indeed, for some, the boating licence rivals the federal gun registry in sparking outrage.

And while the controversy over the licence isn't news in big cities such as Toronto, it sure is making waves in Cottage Country.

Last week, for instance, Pamela Steel of Port Sydney wrote in a letter to the Huntsville Forester newspaper about how she and her son, 12, took the test at a festival in Bracebridge. Like me, they both passed without studying.

She was shocked. Her son "has never been behind the wheel or spent a moment reading about boating regulations," Steele wrote. "The whole thing seems fishy to me," she concluded.

She's right.

What good is a boating licence that doesn't require you to prove you know how to drive a boat? It's like getting a licence to drive a car without taking a driver's test.

When it was launched in 1999, the goal of the program was to improve recreational boating safety and reduce boating accidents, which account for about 33 per cent of water-related deaths in Canada.

But the system has been heavily criticized since it was conceived because boaters are being charged up to $60 for taking the test, which they can take over and over until they finally pass, and because many of its questions, such as identifying huge open-water buoys, have little to do with how and where most of us use boats.

Ralph Cox, a friend who lives in North Bay, said he laughed at one exam question about what to do when you come upon a certain type of buoy. "A better question for me would be, `What do you do when come upon a Javex bottle?' That's all the `navigational devices' we've got on our lake."

At the same time, the system is riddled with cheaters who take the test online. A woman who lives in the Riverdale section of Toronto giggled when she told me recently she has her boating licence, but someone else took the test for her.

Then there are the reports of people registering their cats as their "proctor," which is required for anyone taking the exam online.

Fewer than 2 million boaters had licences by early 2009. There's been a dramatic surge in people taking the test this summer, but millions still don't have one.

Ottawa insists it has moved to plug the leaks in the system and is keeping a close watch on the private companies that conduct the exams and issue the cards. It has suspended four course providers.

Despite overseeing the program, Ottawa gets no money from it. Private firms that give the tests, issue the licences and collect the money, will get a total of $350 million if every boater takes the exam.

Not bad, eh?

Is the program working?

Hard to tell. While the rate of boating deaths has fallen in the past decade, the trend started before the program was introduced.

Clearly, taking a legitimate boating course with hands-on training is a good idea. And there are numerous such courses available.

But a program that is open to rampant cheating, ridicule and doesn't require you to know anything about how to actually operate a boat or jet ski, is a joke.

Full article here...

[BibleMonkey]

I think a power boat has to give way to hot airballons, but not to a glider pulling water skiers if you're in a sail boat, and powerboats have to give way to a blimp unless the underwater visbility is 1 mile . It's a really confusing test full of trick questions like that, so don't be too cocky going in to write it.

Next year when they bring in the Canadian license test for having a nice warm bath, I'm going to study harder. Safety first, eh.

[Rockie]

What good is a boating licence that doesn't require you to prove you know how to drive a boat? It's like getting a licence to drive a car without taking a driver's test.

What makes you think that isn't coming? They have to start somewhere, and knowing the outrage any simple requirement will cause they probably thought a simpleton's test is a good place to start. Later they might tighten it up to an actual driving test. Then watch out...boaters will be outraged then won't they?

[crazy_aviator]

For awhile , there had been certain vigilantees continously pressing the government to introduce boating licences ,,some of them were victims fathers of sons/daughters who died in boating accidents. The insurance industry DIDNT want the government mandating mandatory insurance but that will come too ,,the boating licence is a simple and easy answer to minorties demands and the majority have to pay for it !! Ill thought out , but it keeps the dogs off the sidewalk !!! MOST regs and laws come about because of the ignorant minority. In a perfect country, there would be NO laws ,,people would live within the spirit of the law and do unto others as they would have done unto themself

[Rockie]

Maybe instead of ignorant minority you should blame it on the reckless minority? If a licence is required, then those who shouldn't be driving a boat will lose said licence.

Just a thought.

BTW, can't you be charged with DUI while in care and control of a boat? If so, isn't a licence appropriate?

[pilotbzh]

what is stuppid is the same licence cover 10hp or 250hp without any differences why do i need a licence to run my little 4hp yamaha on the river...

[Hedley]

Another stupid frikken piece of paper. What a
waste of everyone's time.

[BibleMonkey]

If a licence is required, then those who shouldn't be driving a boat will lose said licence.

I shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the water:

On the "Label alla parts of this ship" portion of the test I got the poop lanthorns and Slings of the Crofjack yard mixed up.....



And this was on the Saskatchewan boat test!

I'm going to Ontario to write it next time, I heard over there you can write tiny cheat answers on
your shirt cuffs....

[altiplano]

-

[MCB]

A couple years ago, I was working at the Winona Peach Festival. While I was there a company, that shall remain nameless, was there and offered to let me write the boating exam at a reduced price since I was also staff at the show.

I did not study for a second and passed the exam with just one mark above failing. $40 later I'm 'legal' for the rest of my life, yet I still have no idea what different colour buoys mean, what my restrictions are, etc.

The whole thing is a total joke (and cash-grab) and should be abolished or replaced with an actual licensing system if they're actually serious about boating safety.

[BigB]

BibleMonkey,

Thank you so much for sharing the diagram of that fine ship, as it brings back many memories indeed. One in particular comes to mind, from which I was only a young lad on my first summer job many... many moons ago. I was fortunate enough to have gotten the job on the ship through our local Hire-a-Student office, and was very motivated to show my worth to my ship mates.

The day in question was going to be a good one. Since I was the low man on the Mizzen Mast (the "low man on the totem pole" saying hadn't been invented...hell I don't even think that they had discovered the west coast yet...but that's neither here nor there..) of the seniority list, I was stuck on reserve. I had gotten up early, thinking that I would spruce up the yard a bit, and hopefully not get called out to the ship. So there I was knee deep in the vegetable garden picking weeds, when low and behold the Bosuns Mate show's up and bellows "hey pencil neck, some dope used some lame "sick as required" loophole in the contract, and we're short of men. Get your butt to the ship pronto!" Ah great...another good reserve stint shot to hell, I thought to myself. Ah well, I needed the money. You see, the week before a few trustworthy friends and I had borrowed my Dad's sloop and had ran it up on some rocks. This was due to I misinterpreting a certain color of some buoy. The bill for the repair of this apparent "reckless joy ride" (according to my Dad) was going to be fairly expensive. It puzzles me to this day how one can be on a "reckless joy ride" doing 6 knots in a sloop. Was I reckless?...perhaps. On a "joy ride?....absolutely NOT! But that's neither here nor there...

Anyways, I show up at the boat ready to put in an honest days' work. The Bosuns mate immediately puts me to task on the "Shrouds and Laniards" (4) below the mizzen mast. There I am, minding my own business, when I get hit in the head with a sandal....you know the kind that you buy at a beach front kiosk on one of those poor Caribbean islands. after shaking off the cob-webs, yet still seeing the odd little birdie flying around, I looked up to see a ship mate who was...you guessed it working on the Slings of the Crosjack Yard...sandal-less on one foot. I wouldn't have minded the ordeal, had he not started laughing at me. Well, as any self respecting FNG would do...I flipped him the bird. Wouldn't you know it, the Bosun saw me extending my middle finger, and immediately ran over and tore a strip off me. Sheepishly I apologized, and I was forthwith told to go "The Hawse - hole out of which runs the cable" (10), and chisel away some barnacles. "No problem Boss" I replied. "It's Bosun...BOSUN....Not Boss! You idiot!", was his reply. I could never figure out how such a fair skinned man could turn so red in the face so quickly. But that's neither here nor there...

I work my way down the stairs, through a few hallways, past the guy working The Oven and Furnace of Copper (31). Obviously, since I was new to the ship, I did appear to be awkward in many respects. The XO himself noticed me wandering aimlessly though the bowels of the ship. "Son", he said "the Spirketings ye first Streak next to each Deck ye next under ye Beams being call'd Clamps (35) need polishing". Ah great! That was known as the worst job on the ship. Off I go, polish in hand to carry out my new mission.

So there I am, slaving away at polishing these freaking clamps when who shows up?....the Big Kahuna...the Skipper...Lieut Cabb. And who did he have with him? You guessed it...the regional Transport Canada Representative. Apparently this was a snap inspection that had to do with something called SMS. "Son, do you have a licence for that cannon?" he asked. "Sir, I'm not using the cannon, I'm polishing clamps in ye ol' Spirketings" I replied. "Doesn't matter", he said "you're the closest person in the vicinity of that cannon, which means that you are technically in possession of said cannon. Unless you can provide me with a PAL, or some evidence that you have completed a firearms safety course, I'm going to have to issue a violation. A fine is not out of the question either".

Needless to say, the Skipper was not amused. I could just see by the look on his face what he was thinking....."I'll never hire a student again! They said all their candidates were qualified". You see, apparently many years prior to this, a ship that was under his command had some cannons stolen from the vicinity of the Main top Sail SheetBits by some Somali pirates. That incident sparked a mass outcry to have more accountability and oversight regarding cannon storage and usage. On a side note, if you think piracy is bad now...well let me tell you.... But that's neither here nor there. I sheepishly admitted guilt, with the full knowledge that the powers that be have not only my safety, but my best interests at heart.

A few weeks later I received a letter in the mail from my Union, the Ship Lines Association for the Prioritized Protection of All, or better known as SLAPPA. I open the letter only to find a fine for 89 pence, stemming from my so called "cannon" incident. Man was I pissed. I guess you could say I was "SLAPPAed with a fine". But that's neither here nor there.....

I guess that leads me to the point of my story. Had I been given the fortunate opportunity to have written a boaters exam, I surmise that my ordeals of that day would not have been so negative. We didn't have these so called "boaters licences" back in those days. To have gained the knowledge given to me by studying for the exam would have made my tenure on that ship much more pleasurable.....and SAFE!

For those of you who disagree with today's licensing requirements...take heed.

[BibleMonkey]

Jeepers , BigB, after reading about your maritime misadventures, I'm glad I'm just a landlocked prairie farm boy

[200hr Wonder]

Better keep an eye out for them Saskatchewan pirates then!

[AME 283]

It is better than an AME license, AME license system is bankrupt. So much so that all you have to do is pay a fee to renew it. You could have been out of aviation for years and even the fee is a nuisance, $35.00. The best part is now you take your exams at a college, and they teach to the exam, (which we all have any ways). Canadian Aviation needs an overhaul and the first thing that should go is Transport Canada

[Hey Piiilot]

So let me get this straight...I can land a Twin Otter in Vancouver Harbour with 19 people on board, zig zag around freighters, taxi all around Stanley Park and into False Creek... Yet, if I want to hop in my zodiac and throw a line out for a fish, I need my "license". I called the Coast Guard, and the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron (who are responsible for this crap) and got the run around from both. There is an exemption from this exam and it covers maritimers with all other TC licenses, however I guess us aviators that spent $$$ for our government issued licenses are not considered safe enough to operate our boats on our own leisure time. This whole thing stinks, and I don't believe I should have to dish out another 50 bucks for this waste of time license. If it comes down to it and I have to get this license to drive my boat and dingy around, I'm going down to TC to turn myself in for fear of being "unsafe" of operating a "sea" plane again. They can erase my float endorsement and refund me the money I spent to get it, as it's not worth the value of asswipe its printed on in my opinion. I work for an airline now and I'm all about safety, but this online license of a goat $%#$ is a waste of time. This whole thing is another money grab and if you agree with me I encourage you to call your local Coast Guard or Canadian Power and Sail Squadron. Ask for the commanding officer or the Commodore (CPS), they gave me his home number (as none of them had any answers to this and kept pointing fingers at each other... and I encourage you to call him) CPS: Telephone: (416) 293-2438 or 1-888-CPS-BOAT (277-2628) Canadian Coast Guard: Telephone: (613) 993-0999. Happy Boating.

[mag check]

Now that today is the last day before sept 15th, I have heard through the "grapevine" that starting tomorrow the cost to write the exam will be $360. Can anyone confirm that this is correct?


They claim this is supposed to improve boating safety, and reduce fatalities, yet according to the stats, there are 9 million boaters in Canada, and there are 200 fatalities a year, so according to my math, that is a .0000222% chance of dying in a boat. How much better can it possibly get? This has got to be the safest recreational activity in Canada. Probably more chance of dying reading a book on the couch.

There should be a class action suit against this.

[BibleMonkey]

...Probably more chance of dying reading a book on the couch

The Canadian Reading a Book on The Couch Licence will be brought in after 2012-when enough people are qualifid by first obtaining the Having a Bath With No Helmet licence.....

[BibleMonkey]

dammit I misspelled qualified. i better hit teh books

[culver10]

This boating licence was started by the same Liberal folks that dreamed up our wonderful gun registry and hundreds of other worthless and expensive programs designed to make us safe! Please remember this the next time we go to the polls.

[canwhitewolf]

dltd

[SeptRepair]

It is a fricken joke. I can tow a 100 000 lb plane around on water and put it within 2 feet of an anchoring bouy with out having to have a license, but I have to be licensed to operate my ski boat? Christ my daugter got hers at school when she was 16, and is currently the only licensed person in my house who can operate my boat and she doesnt know jack about boats. Great system we have.

[xsbank]

Stop bitching and take a Power Squadron course. If any of you are boaters you know that saying by George Carlin holds true.

I towed a guy under the Lion's Gate 2 days ago in a sailboat (registered Edmonton, no shit) who made a "mayday" call because he was "disabled." WTF? Mayday? He was happy to be abandoned at a fuel dock. Gee, wonder what happened to "disable" him?

Police, Coast Guard and me, all fussing about this dork who forgot to fuel up his sailboat..........

[Hedley]

*** edited ***

[Guido]

Stop bitching and take a Power Squadron course. If any of you are boaters you know that saying by George Carlin holds true.

I towed a guy under the Lion's Gate 2 days ago in a sailboat (registered Edmonton, no shit) who made a "mayday" call because he was "disabled." WTF? Mayday? He was happy to be abandoned at a fuel dock. Gee, wonder what happened to "disable" him?

Police, Coast Guard and me, all fussing about this dork who forgot to fuel up his sailboat..........

He was out of wind?

[mag check]

Stop bitching and take a Power Squadron course. If any of you are boaters you know that saying by George Carlin holds true.

I towed a guy under the Lion's Gate 2 days ago in a sailboat (registered Edmonton, no shit) who made a "mayday" call because he was "disabled." WTF? Mayday? He was happy to be abandoned at a fuel dock. Gee, wonder what happened to "disable" him?

Police, Coast Guard and me, all fussing about this dork who forgot to fuel up his sailboat..........

A power squadron course is only valid as a proof of compentacy if it was taken before 1999. Any time after that, and you still need the card.