Proposed Bill Prohibiting Youth Boating in Florida

[TonyNA]

Hold on here. What kid would abandon their XBox for a boat?

[TonyNA]

Originally Posted by TonyNA

Hold on here. What kid would abandon their XBox for a boat?

Looks like more democratic induced entropy.

[TonyNA]

This pisses me off on so many levels. This legislator has never exposed his pasty white skin to sun or ocean air. I was sailing in my own sunfish at age 11 which led to a life long career!

[Stumble]

So a six year old on an Opti's is good to go,but a 15 year old on a laser must be prohibited.... this may be the stupidest think I have heard in a while.

[roverhi]

I spent most of my summers from 10 onward piloting a 12' boat with an 18hp Mercury Outboard. That is when I could scrounge the money to put gas in it. That got me into sailing when I was 12 and bought my first boat. Spent all my summers on that Sailfish without the constraint of having to buy fuel to get around.

So yes, I think the law is stupid.

[Don C L]

The law is so inane I wonder how in the world did it get initiated? Did someone in his office have a kid run into his yacht with his Laser and they got together and decided to write a law to prevent that from happening again?
Now let's see how Florida votes.

[Scott Berg]

I started racing (el toro's) at 6. Let me get this right, I have to have an 'adult' in my 8' pram? This is NUTS... it would destroy junior sailing instantly. Not sure what idiot thought this up but they must REALLY hate sailing.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

Yes. Too many snowflakes from up North have settled there and are now pushing their "gov't please save us from ourselves" agenda. This is exactly what happens in NH when people from MA are moving in and are trying hard to make NH more like Taxachusetts. Why would they want the place they ran away to to look like the place they just escaped from?

Funny you should mention that. NH has a similar law.

To be fair, NH only has a few miles of coastline. Their boating laws are all directed at the zoo they call the lakes. If you've been there on a summer weekend, you know what I mean.

[Pete7]

Don't Senators have any more pressing issues to deal with in Florida

[weavis]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Don't Senators have any more pressing issues to deal with in Florida

Yes.
That is why they do this.....
10 years in the State showed me that getting people focused on one issue could mean slipping a whole heap of others through without comment. I can tell you stories about my local city hall that had this to a fine art..

[30West]

By the time I was 16 I was moving 50'-60' cruisers around the docks at the marina single-handed. I could do it single-engine, and we certainly didn't have bow thrusters back then. I've also taught thousands of kids and adults to sail, what an absurd law! There are plenty of middle-age boaters who should not be operating anything but a rowboat without supervision.

[Davidhoy]

People forget that the lessons learned on the water, not just from racing or taking part in supervised events, lead to increased confidence and self-reliance that carry over to every aspect of our lives. Robbing our youth of the opportunity to develop these vital character traits is very troubling.

I live in Senator Farmer's district, and have emailed him to express my concerns.

Regards,
David

[Cormorant]

I remember a few years up in the Fox Islands Thoroughfare in Penobscot Bay we saw a daysailer tacking expertly upwind through the channel. As it got closer we saw two young girls in it. We hollered out, "How old are you?" The answer came back with glee and smiles: "Eight and nine!" They sailed better than a lot of adults I've seen. Can you imagine taking that away from them? Madness.

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Even though I hate children, I feel I must show compassion and support a safety law that only allows children on very small, inherently unsafe boats.
One must also remember that a 16 year old compared to the legal drinking age of 21. Basically 2/3rds of the age.
So in a normal country where drinking starts at 18, 2/3 is only 12.

And only a fool would say a 12 year old should command a 100 footer.

So therefore the Florida rule is justified.

Is that supposed to be a joke? Am I being thick? You hate children, so you support a law that would only allow them in boats small enough to give them a better chance of drowning? And what does alcohol have to do with it? It's already illegal for minors to drink, enhanced penalties for BUI by minors, etc. "100 footers"??? Speaking of alcohol, are you PUI? Or just daft?

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by wkstar

This MUST be in response to those two boys that went fishing last year and ( fell overboard ) ( got stuck in the Gulf Stream ) something happened, They did not come home.

So to prevent that from happening again & having crying Mothers on TV. He will Ban teens from getting in a boat by themselfs & getting on ocean water

Exactly. Typical Nanny State mentality. Note the district this idiot serves, and which "side of the aisle" that district's majority is on. Putting the (D) after his name was redundant.