On Tue, 16 Nov 2004 12:07:36 -0500, Ryk
wrote:



I think it's a good thing, if only because it makes it clear one
should have some qualification before jumping into a boat and hitting
the throttle. The testing is so simple that anybody should be able to
get one after reading the Coast Guard Safety Brochure, so it is not
much of a hurdle to clear. Quite possibly the bar should be higher.

I am also in Toronto, Canada, and got my certificate in the context of
Canadian Power Squadron courses. Not a bad thing, and the red tape is
minimal.

While you can just "sit the test" without prior instruction, the
advent of this licencing requirement is getting more people into Power
Squadron courses, which is gradually upping the knowledge level of
recreational boaters generally, or so it appears to me.

At least it's no longer "zero".

R.