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Initiatives
NORTH CAROLINA – Peter A. Bohler
Effective May 1, 2010 vessel operators are now being asked by Law Enforcement Officers to present a certification card or proof of compliance with the law to have a BLA approved Boaters Safety Course completion certificate reflecting anyone younger than 26 years of age, who is operating a vessel, powered by a 10 horse powered or greater motor on public waterways.
The Raleigh-Wake Composite squadron is preparing to kick-off this year's Raleigh area Lake Patrol program (aka. Sundown Patrol) on May 30, Memorial Day holiday weekend. The Lake Patrol is a volunteer program of low-level flights over lakes in the vicinity of Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Lakes being surveyed under this program are Jordan, Shearon-Harris, Lake Wheeler, and Falls Lake. On weekends during the summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and at other special times, such as holidays, we plan to launch CAP aircrews to conduct visual surveys of these lakes while also conducting SAR/DR mission (aircrew, ground team, mission base) training. The visual survey provides Mission Scanners and scanning Mission Observers with practice in scanning for a variety of visual targets, with one objective being to identify people in the lake area who might be in distress or in need of assistance and other emergency situations. Aircrews will also train and practice DR photo recon activities, i.e. taking pictures of critical infrastructure like dams and bridges, and will perform aerial ELT beacon homing, possibly coordinating activities with CAP ground teams and the U.S. Coast Guard auxiliary. Lake Patrol sorties will be launched during the period between early afternoon and just prior to sunset from the RDU Int’l airport.
Ticket-a-Kid
Auxiliarists sometimes wish they had the enforcement power to ticket parents when they see kids on the water without life jackets, bow riding on a cuddy cabin, holding onto the rails with their feet and dangling over the gunwales, or on an overloaded PWC or pontoon. John Gray, commander, North Carolina Western Foothills Flotilla 26-5, thought of a different approach. He enlisted the owner of his local Dairy Queen who agreed to provide ice cream treats to kids doing the right thing—wearing their life jackets. Read more about it in the article at right.
Resources
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- State Boating Laws from NASBLA
- Marine forecasts from the National Weather Service
