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Learn how to drive boat safely By MARK FREEMAN Mandatory boater education training may still be at least two years away, but Oregon boaters looking to get a leg up on the future requirements now have a place to turn for help. Seven boater-education courses that will meet future Oregon State Marine Board requirements are now offered locally. Two of the courses are offered over the Internet, and a third is a home-study course offered through the Marine Board. While completion of one of these courses is not mandatory for powerboat operation in Oregon until 2002, marine officials and law-enforcement officers are recommending boaters take it now to avoid a mad rush. Besides, taking the course is the best and safest way to combat the main obstacle facing boaters across the country -- their own ignorance. "It's been this way since Moses rafted the reeds and it's still true today -- people don't know what they need to know about boating safety," Jackson County marine Deputy Wally Ramsay says. "They don't know boating safety, boating courtesy and boating rules." But they will have to learn the rules to operate powerboats in the future. The following courses will be accepted by the Marine Board from boaters seeking a Boater Education Identification card. The cards will cost a one-time fee of $10, which will go toward funding the education program. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary basic course. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's boating skills and seamanship course. The U.S. Power Squadron basic course. The Oregon State Marine Board's Boating Basics home-study course. The BOAT/U.S. course offered over the Internet. The web address is: www.boatus.com The Boatsafe course offered over the Internet. The web address is: www.boatsafe.com The new law, enacted by the 1999 legislature and signed last summer by Gov. John Kitzhaber, requires Oregon boaters to have a boater education card before operating powerboats of more than 10 horsepower. Children 12 to 15 years old will need cards to operate any boat up to 10 horsepower on their own. To operate a boat of more than 10 horsepower, kids 12 to 15 must have certification and be accompanied by an adult. But Ramsay encourages all boaters to take the courses regardless of whether they will fall under the new law's legal umbrella. "Everyone who has taken these courses have told me they've learned something -- even people who have boated for several, several years," Ramsay says. The new law, however, also offers experienced boaters an opportunity to take a challenge test beginning in 2001. If they pass, they do not have to take the training. The legislation was backed by the Marine Board, whose members deem it necessary as boating becomes more popular -- and remains deadly. In 1999 alone, 100 injury accidents that included 16 deaths were reported to the Marine Board. That's better than the 20 fatalities and 120 injury accidents in 1998, but still far higher than what marine-safety officials want to see. Also, the number of registered boats in Oregon has grown 60 percent in the past 20 years, with nearly 200,000 boats on state waters last year. At the same time, those boats have grown bigger and more powerful. Marine Board officials said the new regulations aim to increase safety, not drum up revenue from ticketing violators. Boaters without the proper certification face a $75 fine -- but only if they don't complete a boating education program. The Marine Board is also in the process of developing its own course, says Marty Law, the Marine Board's education program coordinator. But any course offered through the National Association of States Boating Law Administrators can be taken now and used as proof of certification later. The Marine Board's course will cover the basics, from how to tie knots to navigation. Those who complete it will know more than what water markers mean, what side of a boat to pass on, the signals to use, and other aspects that make boating safer. "We're trying to create a program that is easy to comply with, as unobtrusive as possible, but still provides the basic knowledge needed by boaters to operate safely and legally in Oregon waters," Law says. For more information about boater-education and marine safety courses, check the Marine Board's website at www.osmb.state.or.us or telephone the Jackson County marine program at 826-5548. (Staff writer Mark Freeman covers the outdoors for the Mail Tribune. Call him at 776-4470 or e-mail him at [email protected] ) Outdoor Journal Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Mail Tribune � 2000 -- Medford, Oregon USA