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Course Outline

The Prohibition Against Careless Operation in the Small Vessel Regulations states that a pleasure craft may not be operated in a careless manner without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons.

  • Examples of careless operation are:
    • Operating a pleasure craft at high speeds in circles or crisscross patterns for long periods of time in the same area
    • Jumping the waves or wake of another boat too close to the other boat or in a way that causes too much engine noise
    • Weaving through heavy traffic at more than slow speed
    • Swerving at the last possible moment to avoid a collision (playing “chicken”)
    • Operating a pleasure craft at a speed that is higher than needed to maintain steering when near swimmers or non-motorized watercraft
  • To avoid causing damage to a person or property with your pleasure craft’s wake, you should reduce your speed when passing:
    • Near a swimming or diving area
    • Close to docks or the shoreline
    • Wildlife
    • Paddlecraft or other small boats
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