One of our two scheduled Saturday
mornings was cancelled due to cold and windy weather. Our other scheduled
Saturday, February 25, had a light turnout of boaters and we managed to perform
only three inspections. Although we did not inspect a lot of boats at Lovers
Key, our numbers for February were not that bad. Our Vessel Examiners Team turned in a total
count of 43.
The breakdown for the 43 VSCs was
23 boats and 20 kayaks. Bernie Appelman
and I inspected boats at the Riverwood Plantation Yacht Club and Florida Gulf
Coast University Marine Division. Our
total VSC count for the year stands at 83 total with 36 boats and 47 paddle
craft inspections.
I want to answer a technical
question about the weight capacity plates on boats. Boat manufacturers for
years have based the average weight per person at 160 pounds when figuring the
total weight a boat can safely operate at. New Federal and Coast Guard
guidelines base the average weight at 185 pounds. This new average weight per person needs to
be factored in when you are out boating.
