From the Boathouse: Of bills, bilges and boating in the rain

Ahoy and new boating laws, plus the rain has arrived!

The New Year is upon us, and let me enlighten you to three new boating laws that become effective in 2016.

I will start with one of the worst bills for boaters, which is Assembly Bill 638, and I warned in my May 16 column (“Proposed law takes fun out of boating for kids,” From the Boathouse) about the uncalled-for law. Now, every child 13 years old or younger must wear a personal flotation device, commonly called a lifejacket, on every vessel regardless of size.

This supersedes the current law that children 13 or younger, already, must wear a lifejacket if on a boat 26 feet or less in length. Keep in mind that boating is one of the safest activities in the nation, and in 2014, boating statistics show a decrease in fatalities. Statistics show that in 2013, there were 88.5 million adults (actually higher if children were counted) that participated in recreational boating in the nation.

Of the 88.5 million, there were only 560 deaths, which is a miniscule 0.00063% of those who went boating, and a very good safety record compared to other activities, especially automobile fatalities. California for the same year had 2.4 million recreational boaters and only 55 deaths, or 0.0016%, posting another very safe year. I agree that no death is to be taken lightly, but the statistics do not demonstrate a need for more laws. So, do we really need to bubble-wrap our kids or anyone further?

Additionally, AB 539, which is written to help combat boaters at the helm who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, became law. It is legal for a recreational skipper to drink alcohol while at the helm, but his/her blood alcohol level cannot be 0.08 or higher. AB 539 allows law enforcement to obtain a search warrant for a blood sample of the vessel operator under certain conditions.

Finally, we have AB 298, which affects anyone fishing in the Marine Protection Areas (MPAs). Department of Fish and Wildlife officers and other law enforcement now have more authority to cite those fishing or poaching in any of the 124 MPAs along the California coast. The discussion of MPAs and their effectiveness is an ongoing debate and a topic for a future column.

There are a few other boating-related bills in the mix that I will not elaborate on further, as these bills affect commercial fishermen or governmental agencies.

Tip of the week: The rains finally arrived this week, and all vessels should have been prepped for the winter season. When is the last time that you checked the cleanliness of your bilges and ensured that your bilge pumps are working if your vessel is still in the water?

Boaters need to be absolutely certain that the vessel’s bilges are clean so that any rainwater entering will not pick up contaminants such as engine oil. I have seen boats’ bilge pumps become active during a rainstorm and inadvertently pump the water and oil mixture into the harbor. You can prevent this from occurring by always using bilge pads, even if the boat is stored on dry land.

Orange County has a regional program for boaters to dispose of old pads for free and receive new pads at various locations in Dana Point Harbor, Newport Harbor and Huntington Harbour. Simply go to ochealthinfo.com/eh/waste/oil/boaters for locations and details.

However, are your bilge pumps operational? I hope that you have checked your pumps before this week and that they are not just operational, but have adequate electrical power to maintain operations for days. Most vessels at a dock are connected to shore power, but vessels on offshore moorings have only the battery power onboard. I have seen vessels sink because the batteries went dead.

You need to check your boat when it is raining, whether the vessel is on dry land or in the water. Boats stored on dry land have been damaged from the rainwater filling up inside the boat due to the scuppers being clogged or the drain plug being still in place. If your boat is moored in the water, then check your vessel before you get a call from the harbor department asking you to refloat your boat and pay for the environmental cleanup.

As always, just keep an eye to the weather for any changes. Please be boat smart and boat safe. Lastly, please boat responsibly during the parades and look behind you before you turn the wheel at the helm.

The original boating program, “Boathouse TV & Radio Shows,” has stretched from coast to coast for more than two decades. See the details at boathousetv.com, facebook.com/boathouseradio and twitter.com/boathouseradio.

Safe voyages!

MIKE WHITEHEAD is a boating columnist for the Daily Pilot. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to [email protected] or go to boathousetv.com.