During the 80 th meeting of the National Boating Safety Advisory Council (NBSAC), Council members unanimously voted in favor of a resolution recommending that that U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) continue to seek Statutory Authority to require that a boat operator, on waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, possess a certificate showing completion of an education course or its equivalent. The Council also recommended that the USCG assemble a task force to develop a draft of the minimum proposed mandatory education requirements that meet current educational standards. http://www.uscgboating.org/articles/boatingview.aspx?id=109)

What this will mean to the average boat owner is that some time in the not-too-distant future, a new boater will not simply be able to buy a boat and go boating. He or she will have to take a course or pass an equivalency exam before taking to the water.

Boating Statistics 2006, http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_stats.htm published July 2007 by the Coast Guard reported that Florida led the country in the number of registered boats as well as the number of fatal (deadly) accidents. Consistent with previous years, 71% of the reported fatalities occurred on boats where the operator had not received any boating safety instruction. Thus, less than 30% of the fatalities on the water had any boating education! Interestingly, upon further examination, less than a 4% of deaths occurred to boaters who had some instruction from the Coast Guard Auxiliary or Power Squadron.

Thus, if you own or plan to own a boat it would be ill advised for you not to have some Coast Guard Auxiliary or Power Squadron instruction. The United States Power Squadron's, mission is summed up in the triangle.

·SELF-EDUCATION- We offer basic boating instruction as well as advance instruction to members, e.g. engine maintenance, marine electronics, piloting, communications, weather, navigation and much more.

·CIVIC SERVICE - We have a presence at community functions and boat shows and offer public boating courses and seminars.

·FRATERNAL BOATING CLUB - We are friends who enjoy boat activities.

The St Lucie River Power Squadron, http://www.usps.org/localusps/stlucieriver/,is a unit of the United States Power Squadron, http://www.usps.orgin MartinCounty. Our next public course , Boat Smart, will be Feb 23-24 at the Stuart Corinthian Yacht Club.For information about this and other courses, contact Mike Knapp, WarmRainFl@aol.com or (772) 283-4816.

Every Wednesday at 11:30 am we meet at Perkins Restaurant, 2583 SE Federal Hwy (next to West Marine). Contact, Commander Jim Skeoch, (772) 229-2871 if you would like to attend.