Sailor Abandons Boat off Florida coast

[OutOfControl]

Originally Posted by pablothesailor

You guys have done this much longer than me, im just a newbie! Im not suggesting the govement gets involved in anything, I just would have thought there would be some sort of one off competence test valid for life that was required before you set sail in anything bigger than a sailing dingy!, I certainly had not expected to open such a can of worms??

Pablo, actually the State of Florida does require a Boater Safety Education ID. This only applies to those born after Jan. 1st, 1988 so most boaters would be grandfathered in or exempted in some fashion according to the statute linked above.
The young man referenced in this thread would have been exempted due to his age.

[captain58sailin]

Okay, I am instituting and online vessel operator's certificate. Send $150 USD to my numbered account in Grand Caymen every year and I will send you a really nice certificate that says you are a "Captain" an old salt, tamer of the 7 seas, recognized by all governments in the world that have a coastline, or are accessible via a river system to the sea. This certificate is required by all the governments of the world in order for you to motivate any type of water craft regardless of size, displacement or means of motivation.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

Okay, I am instituting and online vessel operator's certificate. Send $150 USD to my numbered account in Grand Caymen

please post the account numbers and I will get right on it

[captain58sailin]

1234567890

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

1234567890

am I going to have to lead you to the water, need the routing number also!

[captain58sailin]

sorry swift code is COBADEFF. routing 0192384756.

[Blue Crab]

my check is in the mail, Cap.

[captain58sailin]

Thanks Buddy! As soon as I get it, I'll get your certificate to you.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by Astrid

I see his problem: he was not praying to the right Norse deities: instead of Óðin and Týr he should have been praying to Ægir and Rán. I wonder how is doing now, a year later.

Actually, Astrid,
He should have been praying to Loki . . . for only a trickster could have thumbed his nose at the gods and got him out of that mess!
In Norse reverence,
Rognvald Serpent Slayer

[Glenn.Brooks]

Well this did happen in Florida after all. Where else could this take place!


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[Miniyot]

Originally Posted by Glenn.Brooks

Well this did happen in Florida after all. Where else could this take place!


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Um...the PNW?

[notrace]

Yes money and control that will increase over time


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[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by pablothesailor

Ha, ha, I forgot about thse bloody witch doctors, it may be to late for them as there is a lot of movement (at last)..........

Put it this way, Ive done from CC up to RYA coastal Skipper so far, I can only say BEFORE that I THOUGHT I could just hop on a boat & sail of into the sunset, how wrong I was..............and what a BIG mistake I would have made! IMHO it would be madness to set off on an extended journey without some sort of experience........it seems like this fella in this thread had NONE & did not even know how to prep? IF im not mistaken Spain, Greece & Portugal do ask to see that you have at least to RYA day skipper in thier waters?

Yes, it's wise to get some knowledge and some experience before setting off to tame the 7 seas, but a piece of paper issued by a government doesn't mean you have either. My experience today makes me living proof! Like all of us, I do have some boating experience and hopefully have gained some knowledge along the way, but earlier today I took the open book test (I was out of boating from 2009-2012 so didn't have the requisite recent sea time) to renew my USCG license, and I sure didn't pass it based on much useful knowledge that I've accrued or am likely to ever need to know aboard a boat. I don't blame anyone at the USCG because I can't really think of too many written questions they could ask that would accurately depict the competence of a boater. They could require a practical exam like the RYA does, but even that wouldn't weed out the type of boaters who do the stupidest things. To do that, they'd probably have to require extensive psychological testing under "simulated" stressful conditions and that would mean that some of the best skippers I've known probably wouldn't do well on. So maybe we best just leave things as they are so you only need a license to engage in commercial boating?


Just consider all the horrible, but duly licensed, drivers out there on roads all over the world. But I think you can justify requiring drivers licenses more than boating licenses because of the speed and proximity to others in a car. Also, it's pretty easy for a bad driver to injure or even kill a pedestrian or other driver, but bad boaters don't usually do much damage to people on other boats and if they kill someone, it's most likely to be themselves. Incompetent or dangerous boaters tend to be much more of a self correcting problem!

[Blue Crab]

In the immortal words of Ron White: You can't fix stupid.