Some form of restriction, such as instruction, licenses, age requirements, is needed. What about the perception of conflict between boaters. Again, our waters are no longer an open frontier. The only way that competing users can enjoy boating is through cooperation. Sailboaters, power- boaters, jet skiiers, fishermen, all have to learn how to accommodate each other.
New technology continues to offer new ways to make boating safer and more enjoyable.
It's easy to become reliant on gadgets, gill-hickies and security blankets such as GPS, Loran, VHF radio, SeaTow and others. But when the going gets rough, the weather closes in, and equipment breaks down, increasingly we are finding boaters unable to cope. Technology is fine, but it's no replacement for common sense, seamanship and practical experience. Walk the docks at a marina and look at the boats that lie in their slips and rarely go out. Cuba is the last cruising frontier within reach of thousands of American boaters.