Maybe RI does need to issue skippers Lic

[Duke41]

Over the years I have heard rumors about making folks get a skippers lic in order to operatate a vessel in the water. It seems on the weekend around Narragansett Bay you have a lot of folks that have no clue what the rules of the road are. I decided to do a survey last Saturday as I piloted Restless to Potters Cove from Newport and count how many violations I came across. By the way I was piloting my own boat a Wellcraft Coastal 33. A 16 ton sea going tank.

1. As I was entering the channel from the mooring field I sounded my horn as required a guy in a sailboat actully gunned his engine to cut my off.

2. A power boat came roaring on at about 24 knots at the tip of Goat Island on my starboard side. He was out of the channel skipping over the boulder field at the tip of Goat. He was going at least 20 knots over the speed limit on the wrong side of the channel.

3. There was a small sailboat 14 foot or so, making way out of the harbor under sail, he was to my port side. He tacked in front of a 60 foot yacht, which had to do an emergency stop, this while 9 more boats where enterting from the Bay side.

4. A RIB crash boat from a weekend regata came in on the wrong side of the channel while taking pics of the racers.

Okay that was just in the 10 minutes it took to leave Newport Harbor.

5. When I was entering Potters Cove a 50 foot Catamaran under power cross over the channel right in front of me with no warning no horn , no whislte no radio call. She was on my Port side and had no rights. I had to stop my boat to let her pass.

6. As I passed into the channel and got to the last nun marking the cove, 4 small boats in a row. A floatilla of morons. Entered the Channeld from my starboard side with no horn, crossing my bow and forcing me to kick her into reverse.

7. On the way home a yahoo in a 45 foor cruiser was screaming up the bay past Sandy Point on the wrong side of the channel. I signaled by horn that I would pass him to my starboard. I turned to starboard so far that I was heading for the light house on the point and the moron was hard to Port trying to pass me on his port side. I had to crash turn to port to avoid a possbile collsion. He gave me a big wave , I just shook my head.

Lets not mention the countless jackasses that speed by smaller boats that are fishing putting up huge wakes or speed through the pass under the Newport bridge by the War College and go thru the wrong opening. I saw a cruiser have his prop ripped out and start to sink. The CG and Sea Tow saved that fools ass.

Its not bumper cars out there but sometimes I wonder. If we drove cars like people drove boats it would be mayhem and thats what it can be on the bay.