Help a Brutha Out - Please Vote

[HandymanHerb]

Voted again, I got busy and forgot yesterday, we need to get on it, we are 80 votes down

[BoatCop]

Thanks guys, and keep up the votes. I really appreciate it.

They take more than just the one top vote getter, exactly how many I don't know. But the higher we are the better chance we have.

[bassn386]

Another vote for La Paz from the great state of Missouri!
This is a great program and if it saves one child's life, it will certainly be well worth it.

[HandymanHerb]

Voted today early so I wouldn't forget, come on keep on voting

[MH Hawker]

I guess its just me but I cant understand any one not having kids in a vest.

[PlaynDoc]

Oh, here I go... swimming against the tide again...

I agree that everyone should have a proper fitting life jacket, in every vessel, as every state requires, despite who owns the lake. Isn't that "rule 1" of boating?

As 'captain', before I leave the house, I'm counting heads of everyone expected to ride, and I'm counting lifejackets. I always bring one extra 'kids' and one extra 'adult' sized jacket. On more than one occasion, I've had group of friends show up at the marina with an 'extra' friend I didn't know was coming along. Having the spare allows them to come along, without me <or them> running inside the marina to buy a new one.

As 'captain', I require that all kids in my boat wear their lifejacket while underway. I require all swimmers bring a floating device with them when they get in to swim, even if it's a foam noodle. (We seldom beach the boat for swimming) I also require all adults that don't know how to swim, to wear a life jacket while underway. If my passengers give me shit about my rules, it'll be the last time they ride on my boat.

Isn't this what everyone does? It rubs me raw to have another entity 'responsible' for my actions.

The concept of the kids lifejacket loaner program sounds great.... Goodness knows, I've had times that the extra passenger shows up, and we've had to buy one... And, MAYBE I'm reading too much into this... After all, it *is* 7am...

On first read, I said to myself, "here's another misuse of money"..... but, I forced myself to dig deeper....

I'm so glad it isn't paid <entirely> for by tax dollars or my BoatUS insurance/membership fees. From the original post, I thought this program is funded by BoatUS membership and/or insurance fees. I looked even deeper, though. I read their 2011 Annual Report. 73% of funding is from contributions, and 16% from federal grants. Reading this annual report was a bit eye opening. They have many programs, all intended to improve our boating experience.

But... there's always a 'but'.... Why is it up to BoatUS <or anyone else> to supply our vessels with this device? If the boat captain is so ignorant as to not provide the basic boating safety equipment for their passengers, then their boat shouldn't be on the water. If the basic safety rule is ignored, that's scary. I think that when they're busted by the boat cops for not being properly equipped, they should pay the fine. The boat cops exist from tax dollars. They need to fine every violator of this basic safety rule - help recoup the expense of their existence. I've never had a boat cop board my boat - except for a requested courtesy check, while I was on land - and I hope they never will have to.

Here's a 'far-stretch' analogy...... This almost kinda rings of the free cell phones offered by government. It seems to remove the personal responsibility of the captain...

WITH ALL THAT SAID.... I VOTED FOR LA PAZ!

[BoatCop]

Thanks Doc.

Although we all believe in personal responsibility and each skipper's duty to provide for their passengers, there's always the situation where one might get out to the lake and find that the kids have outgrown their PFD since last trip or, in the hustle to get out to the lake, forgot them for the friends or cousins they brought on their trip this time.

We want everyone to have a great time on the water and this program provides a way to escape the frustration of driving 4 or 5 hours and discovering that they need to go buy equipment after already paying for gas, food, etc.

It's a small way to help people stay out on the lake and keep the kids safe.

[margaritaman]

Bumping up the website on this page.

Web: http://shout.lt/hs0f
Facebook: http://shout.lt/hs0k

[margaritaman]

Our no speed limit days are over.

Enforcement of manatee speed zones begins.
Boaters will need to ease up on the throttle when they navigate the Intracoastal Waterway in Flagler County beginning May 1.

Deputies from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be out in force May 1 through May 5, educating and issuing warnings to boaters who violate speed limits in three newly established manatee zones along the Intracoastal Waterway in Flagler County.

“It’s important that boaters travelling along the Intracoastal Waterway understand where the new manatee zones are and that the new speed limitations have been established for their safety as well as for the protection of these marvelous creatures,” Sheriff Jim Manfre said in a statement.

The State of Florida created new manatee zones with the hope of protecting manatees from harmful collisions with vessels. Additional information and maps of the newly created manatee zones can be found on the Sheriff’s Office website at www.myfcso.us/marine-patrol.aspx and on the FWC’s website myfwc.com.

[curtiscapk]

vote is in.

[HandymanHerb]

We going backwards in votes, were at 131 now it's showing 118

[badmoonrising]

Voted again today.

[tkrein]

well I voted for you go boatcop

[playcat]

In it to WIN it!!

[margaritaman]

I just voted several times today to bring it up to 200 but still number four. You can vote several times by pressing refresh arrow to reset the page.