Lake Tahoe boating tragedy: Victims completed safety course, but half of California boaters have not

The owners of a power boat that capsized last month at Lake Tahoe during a sudden violent storm killing eight people in a tragedy that drew national attention had both completed a boating subject and passed a safety exam as required under California state law Josh Pickles of San Francisco received a state boater card last October and his father Terry Pickles of Redwood City was issued a state boater card in January certifying that they successfully passed the mandatory exam according to records at the California Division of Boating and Waterways Related Articles Joe Montana endorses ers paying Purdy It s not like he hasn t done the job Kyle Juszczyk hasn t forgotten three worst days of my life amid ers free agency Steph Curry in wait-and-see mode on Tahoe golf reign and Warriors tenure Steph Curry s encore at Tahoe celebrity golf tourney motivates others to ace Edgewood Awesome sense of place Settlement ends long-running Lake Tahoe maturation battle But they are in the minority Only about of California boaters who are required under the law to complete the safety unit and carry a card proving it have really done so according to Adeline Yee a spokeswoman for the agency Supporters of the effort say more necessities to be done to raise awareness and increase enforcement particularly as thousands of people head out this summer across California on lakes rivers and bays Forty-five percent That s not good enough revealed U S Rep Mark DeSaulnier D-Walnut Creek DeSaulnier wrote the law mandating the safety unit for power boat operators when he was a state senator in Sacramento in following a series of high-profile boating deaths Former Gov Jerry Brown signed it At the time California was one of only five states in America that required no safety training for recreational boat operators I had hoped it would make the waterways safer DeSaulnier explained His co-author former state Sen Bill Monning agreed It s a disappointment that less than half the people who should have pursued the training and certification have done it disclosed Monning a Carmel attorney We are safer now because half the boaters have passed it But it seems we need a more aggressive outreach and promotion effort Yee announced there are roughly registered boats in California and people have so far passed the safety discipline and been issued a card Several people own more than one boat In the Tahoe affair investigators have circulated little information including the El Dorado County Sheriff s Department which is leading the inquiry Its spokesman Sgt Kyle Parker did not return emails or calls this week seeking an update Josh Pickles an executive at DoorDash in San Francisco was taking his mother Paula Bozinovich on a boating trip for her birthday He and his father bought the boat which seated last year and had only taken it out twice until the fateful day June Family spokesman Sam Singer noted the -foot Chris-Craft boat capsized after strong winds and rough waves swamped it off D L Bliss State Park disabling the motor Two survivors were rescued and both were wearing life jackets The El Dorado Sheriff s office and the National Transportation Safety Board have not mentioned if the eight people who died were wearing life jackets Particular power boats can movement mph or more In California anyone or older can operate them and alcohol high speed and lack of training are common causes of injuries and deaths Since the s California has seen a drop in recreational boating accidents But that downward trend has leveled off in new years Last year people were killed in boating accidents in California according to the state Division of Boating and Waterways more than any year since And California s accident rate remains higher than the national average deaths per registered boats in compared with nationally according to Coast Guard statistics Bureaucrats at the state Division of Boating and Waterways say they are working hard to promote the new safety law which fully took effect Jan They appear at boat shows county fairs and other events and operate a website Californiaboatercard com People get ready to launch their motorboats from the Antioch Marina launching ramp in Antioch Calif on Friday July Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group The law was phased in for the youngest boat operators first starting in But when COVID hit numerous of the in-person events ended Since COVID restrictions were lifted the Division of Boating and Waterways has expanded its in-person outreach efforts to raise society awareness about the California Boater Card and is working with law enforcement agencies to make sure vessel operators are aware of the plan mentioned Ramona Fernandez deputy director of the division in an emailed comment DBW will continue to gather and assessment shared accident information in the future now that the plan has been fully implemented The program can be taken online at Californiaboatercard com It takes at least three hours and covers multiple topics from navigational rules to capsizing rescuing people overboard grounding fires and collisions Boater cards cost and are valid for life If boaters are stopped by police and aren t carrying one they can be fined for the first offense for the second and after that The law does not apply to sailboats kayaks or rowboats or people with a commercial fishing license or out-of-state boaters Now that all age groups of power boat operators are covered police say they are moving from warnings to tickets The word still demands to get out noted Doug Powell who has worked since with the Contra Costa County Sheriff s Department on boating enforcement This weekend I was at a marina and I had a ski boat slide through within feet of other boats when we were fueling at the docks I stopped him and urged if he had a California boater card The answer was no State law does not require boat dealers or the DMV to check for a boater card And at a multitude of marinas workers don t check either Powell reported lawmakers should require rental boat operators to complete a basic safety subject something that was in the bill but removed after opposition from the rental industry I don t want to be boating next to somebody who doesn t know who has the right of way he explained It s extremely dangerous We have to get the mentoring out there On Friday boaters were out at Coyote Lake County Park near Gilroy Rick Burden of Morgan Hill was putting a -foot power boat he bought last year in the lake to go tubing with his family He reported he took the boating discipline online and passed It took me about hours he commented I was cursing it but I learned a ton If it prevents people from getting hurt I think it is worth it Rick Burden of Morgan Hill shows his boat card before launching his boat at Coyote Lake County Park in Morgan Hill Calif on Friday July Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group