Millville Cancelled!!!!!!

[HRTV]

Not saying what's happened is right...but has anyone ever been pleasure boat on a busy waterway on a hot summer day or holiday? We take driving a boat for granted because we know (most of us anyway) what we're doing in a boat, unfortunately a lot of the folks boating don't have a clue when it comes to driving a boat.

I think the mandated tests are a good idea for the general public on an public waterway, BUT during a sanctioned race...well, that's just wrong and probably illegal.

That was my thinking, how can the law step in when it is a closed course sanction regatta? The boats are never driven off the course even if the course is on public water way and the vessels are not pleasure craft so I am very confused on how this works.

Someone correct me if I wrong but this is the very reason why the course is closed on both ends by the coast guard allowing the event to take place inside the guarded area.

So how is the state law applied inside the protect area which has been given the proper permits to race.

I know that Matt and all the folks over at DVORA have done tons of foot work on this but I am still confused.

Sounds to me like NJ has got their head up their you know what, sorry to rant on but I really feel the guys who were all packed up and ready to go.

I understand that beating this to death will not help but I just had to vent a little

Sorry.

[Racerkyle20]

Wow

This is BULL****! I never in a million years could have imagined this situation. DVORA has my sympothy.

Sgt. Bird clearly has nothing to do with time in that town. Maybe he should concentrate on, you know, things like crime, catching speeders, eating a donut, watching roadhouse, playing solitar on his patrol car computer....

Maybe they should send him up to Newark...maybe he'd have more fun there...

As a person who respects law enforcement and the jobs they do, sometimes they boggle even my mind.

APBA should really step in here with the NJ legislature...or any legislature for that matter that trys to limit power boat racing. We are a special intrest group and having represtentatives or lobbists could benifit boat racing. I know Steve Greaves has helped in the WA state legislatures...

[Sonny]

Maybe we should reserve judgment until we get to the absolute bottom of this. This might boil down to one or two people's bad decision. If we start judging them harshly or heckling them here we might rally folks to there defence and loose the race site all together and that doesn't benifit anyone.

[DougMc]

Sorry to see this happen.

The officer who called is probably shocked that nobody has licenses. My guess is that he probably needed a good excuse to come down to the lake and watch the races for the day to get out of the office and thought he had found that excuse.

The laws are just a fact of life. APBA, AOF and NBRA are just not powerful enough to have a real influence on the laws and making of laws. That is a fact. With this in mind, we all will need to go through the proper steps required by the local and state governments. We need to be proactive rather than reactive and that means getting safety licenses if needed.

I researched Florida boating laws a few years back. I found that even at sanctioned regatta EVERY boat must be registered and titled with the State of Florida OR the state from which the owner lives. The registration sticker MUST be displayed EVEN DURING THE ACTUAL RACE. The actual numbers do not need to be displayed during a race.

This led me to register and title both of my hydros as a just in case. I've suggested more than once to racers here on hydroracer and in person to register their boat and was blown off or not taken seriously. It is only a matter of time when "Officer Friendly" comes down to a race in Florida or elsewhere and starts checking boat registrations.

I've been testing more than once where an officer has come down to check my registration. He looked at the registration sticker and then stuck around and watched. Also, I was stopped by an officer while driving to a race in Lake Placid, FL for a tail light that was out. The officer requested proof that I owned the boat that was on the trailer. Not a problem as I produced the registration and he was satisfied. (I'm sure the boat would have been impounded had I not had a registration. I proved ownership, most other races could not have done so.)

My suggestion to all of us is to 1) get our boat safety licenses and 2) title and register our boats. Both are easy to do and don't really cost that much money.

Don't try to fight the system because you WILL lose. Work with the system and have fun.

[Dave M]

To Late

Wow what a shame I really feel sorry for the folks who hit the road last night before checking HR.

Even though HR is not the official APBA web site please always encourage folks to check here for the latest news updates etc. before leaving home.

Dan,

Had I been able to go to this race, I would have left yesterday morning. So even if checking HR, it woul dhave been way to late.

Has anyone pushed back on that SGT ? Sounds to me like all you NJ racers ought to move out of the state and teach thema lesson. If I remember right, this is not all that far from the PA or NY line, maybe a couple hours ? When I was traveling for work into Newark and NYC I flew into Newark and drove to downtown NYC in about 30 minutes.

I also seem to recall a large rally for this very thing last year for the NJ races, we all wrote letters to the senators and what not. Did that not help at all ?

I doubt APBA will get invovled at all. What could they do anyway ? They are a very small organization in the overall boating world.

[Danny Pigott]

Anti race people

Hard to believe that Charlie Strang wrote the SO rules at his home in NJ about 1950. This is where APBA SO started, an to end up like this is something. How about the Inboard races do they face the same. I think this was done by someone in the town that does not want the race there ,not just the DNR.

[PopPop]

Here are courses for PA tomorrow. One is in Bristol 1 day 8 hours.
http://pfbc.state.pa.us/Calendar/All...ourses&DAY=ALL

[kev29p]

online PA course and test

Basically open book, instant results and cert., extremely common sensical, all online, takes much less time than they say...

http://www.boat-ed.com/Pennsylvania/index.html

[14J]

Just when you thought the bleeding was over

Just got a call from the "Mad Russian" as he pulled into the pits wondering where everyone was. Poor guy was on the road from Maine before the S*** hit the fan.

[johnsonm50]

Guess Ill be a wanna-be a bit longer. Irony for me is I have the cert. from NJ, got one wrong on the test [Q-had 2 right answers] I pulled in & thought 1st one here??? no waaaayy, somethins up. Then a nice lady pulled in & told me. Sooo, time bein my biggest race lesson is check just B4 ya go. Even tho I came in on a bums ticket... wuz gonna sleep on the van floor, I did bring spendin cash. Hopin to try at Lambertville- closer anyway.

[MGallagher]

APBA will be sending out an alert via email stating if you want to get a validated, "no questions asked," boating safety certificate to race in NJ you can contact Jill and/or Scott Glossner for details. It will be very quick and easy and will cost less than most online certs. and be an official Boating Safety Certificate.

No questions on this here on hydroracer, please wait for alert to be sent out.

Thanks

[Kev43V]

I am a bit confused several people have stated you had until june 1 09 before this was in effect. is that a misunderstanding? if not how can the Sarge inforce it now when their law states 6-1-09 as the date of the law being in effect.
it is a moot point I guess.
I feel for those that have made the drive for nothing.( HECK i feel for everyone involved for that matter) Sounds like it is time to throw a huge bash. A Should Be Racin Bash. Maybe Jeff can make some shirts? It is especialy bad since this was a divisional!

[jtower3941]

Boating safety in NJ

A point should be questioned. All persons that would enclude rescue and patrol boat operators will have to have same certification. A question on our life jackets. Are they Coast Guard Approved. If not , this is a fine. Having your race boat registered in the state that you are from will be a issue at Pennsylvania Races. So let us bit the butts of all local officals and be up to date on things.

Jim Tower 118-P

[thunderracing]

well thats just f%$%%$&*%&*$&g dandy.telling us we cant race without a cert.
is this going to happen at lambertville? matt i need Scotts info so i can get myself a cert. planning on bringing my 850 hydro. and if i dont get a cert, LET THEM TRY TO CATCH ME. lol

ps, if you need, ill bring PONGO my dog. 280-p

[thunderracing]

hey jim. nothing in life is free anymore. A