Boating IQ quiz: Get ready for license
The new “boaters’ driving license,” as many call it, starts Jan. 1.
It couldn’t get here fast enough, given the spate of drownings in the past month in full lakes and high rivers.
The problem, according to the California Division of Boating and Waterways, is that people new to boating — or those who don’t own boats and take the wheel as a favor for a friend — can quickly find themselves in over their heads. Add alcohol or no life jacket and they might not come up for a third time.
California has 400 lakes you can drive to, 40 major rivers and 125 tributaries, and this year’s conditions are the best in a decade for boating and water sports. A boat — be it a kayak, a yacht or anything in between — gives an owner something to look forward to. Just stay out of trouble.
When you are trained at an outdoors skill, you become imprinted with the voices of your instructors. You begin to see things coming, get ahead of the curve, and you’ll hear the wisdom of your mentors in your thoughts. Their voices and training will keep you out of trouble.
In critical moments, you will instinctively default to your level of training. That’s why I have taken classes and reached out to mentors to advance my knowledge on power boating, flying, scuba diving, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, surfing, rock climbing, wilderness survival, firearms and self-defense.
Whatever you love, get trained and develop expertise. For boating, soon it will be the law. This fall, the CDBW will start issuing the California Boater Card. Starting Jan. 1, anybody age 20 or younger must pass a safety test to get the card and operate a boat. The law will be phased in for everybody over the next 10 years.
A home study course in a 132-page booklet is available at www.dbw.ca.gov. The comprehensive ABCs of California Boating can also be downloaded online from the same site.
In the past, I published a boating quiz, but based on the violations and lack of boating knowledge I’ve seen in the past month on the water, here are 10 questions (answers at the end) based on incidents and the latest statistics. No matter what your level of outdoor experience is, at some point you could be aboard a boat and asked to take the wheel. Would you be ready?
1. In 2016, what percentage of accidents with personal watercraft involved operators who had borrowed or rented (and had no training or experience)?
A. About zero, nobody would dare loan out their beloved WaveRunner.
B. Roughly 25 percent for both, way too high.
C. 37 percent borrowed, 23 percent rented, the idiot factor in play.
D. 44 percent borrowed, 28 percent rented, yer eyes ain’t foolin’ ya.
2. The law says that all aboard must have a life jacket (personal flotation device) available. On an open boat, at what age must those aboard wear a life jacket at all times?
A. Age 10 and under, and it’s amazing so many parents don’t comply.
B. Age 12 and under, see above.
C. Age 15 and under, the law taking aim at young teens.
D. As long as a PFD is available for each person aboard, they are not required to wear it.
3. What is the age restriction for operating a boat with a motor rated at more than 15 horsepower?
A. No person under 16, unless under supervision of an adult.
B. No person under 18, unless they have a driver’s license.
C. No person 12 and under at any time.
D. No person 12 and under unless under supervision of an adult.
4. Is it legal to drink a beer while driving a boat?
A. Yes. We call it a cruiser, no harm done.
B. No. The rules are just like driving a car.
C. Yes. But never with minors aboard.
D. No. You can have open containers aboard for passengers, but the driver cannot have a beer while under power, similar to the rules for Class A motor homes.
5. If an adult is legally drunk on a boat, is it legal for a 12-year-old to drive the boat back to the dock (and the adult can avoid a boater’s DUI).
A. Yes. Safety first. Plus a common practice to avoid getting in trouble.
B. No. You gotta be kidding — boat patrol officers look for this.
6. More boaters have trouble at the ramp than anywhere else. When loading a powerboat onto a trailer, what is the key to a fast, easy load and departure?
A. Having the boat positioned next to the dock, even if you are blocking people trying to launch.
B. Having a spotter who can guide the boat onto the trailer.
C. The depth of the trailer in the water.
D. A strong winch to pull the boat so it seats properly at the bow.
7. Of 588 recreational boating accidents in 2016, what was the leading known contributing factor in the accidents?
A. General idiotic behavior; they had it coming.
B. Moments where the drivers turned to watch tubers, boarders or skiers being towed behind their boats and did not sustain attention to their forward paths.
C. Alcohol, of course, sometimes where drunk passengers fell overboard.
D. Drivers of boats who had not completed a safety course.
8. Of 724 recreational boating accidents in 2015, how many of those operating boats in the accidents had taken an approved boating safety course? A. 1, no foolin’. B. 7 (Answer A was a trick to mess with you.) C. 23, no more funnin’ ya’ll. D. 51, only 4 percent of 1,448 operators in 724 accidents.
9. In 2016 in Northern California, what area had the highest number of boating accidents?
A. The delta. All those Jet Skis, WaveRunners, fast boats and drunks like Russian roulette.
B. San Francisco Bay and local coast. Boaters can get surprised by wind, high seas and fog.
C. Shasta Lake. Too many newbies in rentals getting in trouble, skewing the bar.
D. Lake Tahoe, ice cold water, big wind and swells, lake doesn’t give up its victims.
10. What does a boat floating still in a lake, raising a square red flag mean?
A. Boat inoperable and adrift, need help, likely a tow.
B. Skier in the water, slow down and give plenty of room.
C. Scuba divers in the water, use caution.
D. Bruce Bochy has to call the bullpen.
Note: Statistics, laws courtesy California Division of Boating and Waterways. Answers: 1. D;2. B; 3. A; 4. A; 5. B; 6. C; 7.C; 8. A; 9. A; 10. B.