Various local law enforcement agencies along with conservation officers from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DG&IF) are increasing their safety patrols on the Historic James and the Appomattox River systems.

My friend at DG&IF told me that the organization wants to have more conservation officers check for safety viloations both on the water and at the ramps.

Remember, the new law states that if you operate a watercraft you must have passed the Virginia Safe Boating course as of these dates. PWC relates to Personal Water Craft or Jet Skis.

PWC operators between the ages of 16 and 20 years of age or younger shall meet the requirements by July 1, 2009, operators ages 14 or 15 may operate a PWC if they have successfully completed an approved boating education safety course.

PWC operators 35 years of age or younger shall meet the requirements by July 1, 2010.

PWC operators 50 years of age or younger and motorboat operators 20 years of age or younger shall meet the requirements by July 1, 2011.

All PWC operators, regardless of age, and motorboat operators 30 years of age or younger shall meet the requirements by July 1, 2012.

Motorboat operators 40 years of age or younger shall meet the requirements by July 1, 2013.

Motorboat operators 45 years of age or younger shall meet the requirements by July 1, 2014.

Motorboat operators 50 years of age or younger shall meet the requirements by July 1, 2015.

All motorboat operators, regardless of age, shall meet the requirements by July 1, 2016.

I would think other states have their safe boating requirements. If so, how about filling us in on what your state is doing.

Thanks.

Hate to sound like I'm avoiding it...but I turn 30 next year...one year off from getting around it for a little while longer.

Is your club going to offer the class again this winter?

Hey Kirby, probably not.

All the guys, excluding the four new members, have their ceritficate.

VDG&IF wants to have 12 to 15 in a class and it was difficult last year to round up that many guys.

Take the one given by VDG&IF but be prepared to go nuts when they take three hours to tell you all about jet skis. There will be a lot of young heathens in the class so they can operate their jet skis.

Wow! You will be 30, soon. Are you getting old or what?