I’m probably like a lot of you folks. I would like the effects of
licensing, knowing that the burdened vessel converging with me and
sort of wavering around in his course actually does know which way to
turn, not having my tax dollars spent looking for bozo’s, etc. I would
also like the freedom of making my own decisions about my competence.
It would also be nice not to have a system come to the waters I sail
where there is an incentive for uniforms who were told to go out and
"show that the system is working" but don’t actually know how to come
alongside or use fenders waste a portion of my afternoon looking for
little pieces of paper.

Everything about the way NJ has implemented the system strikes me as a
good example of how government always finds a way to inconvenience
people and restrict their freedoms without actually doing anything
constructive about the problem. I don’t know what’s going on in CT but
it’s probably another reason to stay north of Cape Cod.

It will probably come to Maine too but it will probably come last.
Hopefully, it will be after I’m no longer too concerned about it. If
it does come become an issue, it isn’t going to do any good to spout
some of the nonsense in the mega thread I started below. We aren’t the
NRA with a constitutional amendment backing us up. Some kind of
alternative will have to be presented. Here’s just an idea.

Establish a fee (can’t be a tax because taxes can’t be raised or added
anymore) of, maybe, 1% on the sale of every new and used boat. If the
buyer can produce a certificate from a recognized course such as the
power squadron, or maybe a no claim history from insurance of a vessel
of similar size, the seller can submit a copy of that instead of the
fee. If someone just wants the boat and is willing to pay the fee,
then it goes to safe boating education and printing more of those
silly hand outs.

I’m not advocating doing this either but, if licensing talk starts up
this way, I want some alternative to present.


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Roger Long