Petition: Change the laws and regulations on our waterways

[Tranona]

I think that is part of the problem. In today's highly regulated society . If one takes to a pastime and there are no requirements , the mindset may well suggest that there is nothing to worry about. One country does I think require a license for craft that can do 10 knots and above. There is no requirement for sailing boats. It is assumed that you know what you are doing and are aware of the likely hazards.

Many countries require licences - I think you are referring to France here, but others such as Spain, POrtugal, Italy - the list could go on - require licences for boats and even define where you can sail with the licence you have. The UK is unusual in having virtually no regulation.

As the post earlier about Denmark shows, all the things on the petition are already law elsewhere.

However as already observed this greater level of regulation does not necessarily lead to greater safety or a lower level of accidents.

 

[shan]

Weak, try harder.

Why would I bother?

 

[maby]

Has anyone actually bothered to look at the voting pattern for this petition? The number of votes cast is still small and the focus is on London where the original accident happened, but interestingly, the rest of the support comes primarily from areas with a significant level of leisure boating activity - the Kent coast and the Solent.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Has anyone actually bothered to look at the voting pattern for this petition? The number of votes cast is still small and the focus is on London where the original accident happened, but interestingly, the rest of the support comes primarily from areas with a significant level of leisure boating activity - the Kent coast and the Solent.

I don’t think this means a lot, many of those posting may keep their boats on the Kent coast or Solent , but possibly live elsewhere and commute to them. I think that the potential adverse effect on our sport/hobby of additional legislation concerns most of us, it’s just that those two areas probably represent perhaps 60 % of the U.K. boating fleet.

 

[JomsViking]

- Speed limits (already exist here in Denmark and boldly written in all marinas , canals or other smal lwaterways or protected estuaries. On the open ocean there is no sign so no limit and does not need one! )
- Alcohol drink drive limits ( already exists here, same rules apply as to automobiles )
- Mandatory wearing of life jackets ( already exists and minors and pets are mandatory, adults do not have to wear them but the vessel MUST have adequate amount for everyone on board)
- Safety training (already exists, you take it as part of your boating certificate which is mandatory for any vessel that can plane, )
- Vessel safety standards ( already exists , though indirectly as all vessels manufactured after a certain date MUST be CE certified)

no problem here, move along now

There's no rule ('cept common sense) saying that minors must wear lifejackets.

The Danish rules (oversimplified):
Anything non-planing and up to 50 feet does not require anything but enough lifejackets for everyone, and the rule for drinking is the same as UK.
For planing boats: Same rules re. drinking as for driving (and a new law for jetskis b/c of a tragic accident in Copenhagen Harbour: https://www.thelocal.dk/20180104/danish-man-given-two-year-prison-sentence-for-fatal-jetski-accident - however looking at jetski drivers this summer doesn't indicate that the law really helped - admittedly a small sample size

 

[Chris_Robb]

Certainly not. He was already breaking the law. What kind of nanny state do you want?

 

[maby]

I don’t think this means a lot, many of those posting may keep their boats on the Kent coast or Solent , but possibly live elsewhere and commute to them. ...

Which, in turn, could suggest that the local population of the places where we sail are less than happy about us!

 

[savageseadog]

Sadly, some time in the future, inevitably, there will be further licencing and regulation for boating. It has already crept in for actual boats via the EU and RCD. It's the way of the modern world where people seem to want to line up ready to be controlled and be controllers. In 20, 50 or a hundred years people will look back nostalgically at the Golden Age of boating.

I do understand how the family of the victim feel and I extend my sympathies, there's lots of legislation relating to motoring but that doesn't stop morons and drunks unfortunately.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Which, in turn, could suggest that the local population of the places where we sail are less than happy about us!

I don’t know, in our harbour I would estimate that 60% of boats are owned by locals, besides why would the local population be unhappy about us? In the areas of high density boating, there must be an economic advantage to the locals, marinas would I suspect normally pay considerable amounts of business tax to local councils, thus keeping domestic council tax lower, pubs, cafes restaurants and shops no doubt rely upon the ‘boaties’ trade. Of course there will be some ‘Col. Blimp types’’ who decry the Leisure industry in their locality but would they prefer heavy industry to move in to keep the economy growing?

 

[seaangler23]

I'm sure I am like tens of thousands of others who enjoy spending time on the water in pleasure craft, in that I took a few sailing lessons over sixty years ago and since then have gained quite a lot of experience afloat and ashore. (viz. STA Schooners, crewing jobs, own boat(s), solo circumnavigation of the British Isles).

I fervently hope that "minimum qualifications" do not become mandatory - but common sense says boating can be dangerous to self and others - like walking in the countryside, crossing a busy town road, swimming in the sea.

There are enough Nanny-state laws and regulations. PLEASE, don't legislate for our water-borne pleasures.

I completely agree, I’ve always had boats and only got any qualifications a couple of years ago as I felt I should have something. I held your opinion until speaking to a RYA instructor/inshore lifeboat helm/outdoor instructor who comes sailing with us and gets up to all sorts of stupidity on boats but after chatting to him and witnessing some absolute crackers this summer I have to agree with him, unfortunately a quick mandatory course aimed at certain types of craft would likely escalate into something beyond that impeding the freedom we have. How’s the sailing courses you did 60yrs ago because you had the common sense to do to yourself before heading out different to being told you need to do a small course before jumping in anything you like, the folk who usually don’t are the problem, a guy who I’ve had to save twice in a 48ft princess is my reason, he couldn’t even work the radio if he needed to

 

[Robert Wilson]

I completely agree, I’ve always had boats and only got any qualifications a couple of years ago as I felt I should have something. I held your opinion until speaking to a RYA instructor/inshore lifeboat helm/outdoor instructor who comes sailing with us and gets up to all sorts of stupidity on boats but after chatting to him and witnessing some absolute crackers this summer I have to agree with him, unfortunately a quick mandatory course aimed at certain types of craft would likely escalate into something beyond that impeding the freedom we have. How’s the sailing courses you did 60yrs ago because you had the common sense to do to yourself before heading out different to being told you need to do a small course before jumping in anything you like, the folk who usually don’t are the problem, a guy who I’ve had to save twice in a 48ft princess is my reason, he couldn’t even work the radio if he needed to

I accept that point. I have my RYA VHF certificate, but only because the law requires me to have a certificate to operate it. Of course, there is no legal requirement to have a VHF radio.
I am not against people having the option of instruction, and as in many cases boaters have done so - but legislation is the thin end (beginning?) of a very large wedge.

 

[PaulJS]

Although I sympathise with the family of the young lady who died, I do think that alcohol and testosterone were more the reason for her death than being on a boat, so I don't believe that increased regulation will help and therefore will not support this petition.

 

[slowboat]

I certainly wouldn't ever sign that petition; boating is one of the last freedoms in our society and it should remain so. We individually take responsibility for our own, and our friends', safety. Draconian rules wouldn't have prevented the 2015 death on the Thames, drunken people tend to take little notice of rules.

+1

 

[ghostlymoron]

I guess that's a resounding 'no' then. There are laws covering dangerous behaviour and manslaughter to which boaters are subject as is everybody else.