What’s the Suffolk County Safe Boating Law?
Last October when County Resolution 830-2012 to establish boating safety requirements was signed by County Executive Bellone, Suffolk’s Charter Law “Suffolk’s Safer Waterways Act was official.
What does that mean? The new law states:
A. “No resident of Suffolk County shall operate a pleasure vessel upon the waters of Suffolk County unless the operator is the holder of a boating safety certificate issued by the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; by the United States Power Squadrons; by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary; or by any entity that offers a boating course that meets the standards set by the National Association of Boating Law Administrators.”
B. All residents of Suffolk County operating a pleasure vessel upon the waters of Suffolk County shall maintain their boating certificate on board their vessel during all periods of operation
Now what:
If you are a Suffolk County resident and boat in Suffolk waters, you need to have taken, passed, and have proof of completing a National Association of Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) approved course. Boating certificates are required for vessel operators after November 4, 2013.
There are EXEMPTIONS: Instructors of US Power Squadron, Members of the USCG, USCG Auxiliary, and US Navy; police officers acting pursuant to assigned duties, lifeguards acting pursuant to assigned duties, fire and rescue personnel acting pursuant to the assigned duties, persons licensed to operate vessels by the USCG, and persons who hold boating safety certificates issued by other states or municipalities.
What do I need to do?
Unless you have successfully taken and completed a NY State Safe Boater’s Class, USCG Auxiliary or US Power Squadron Safe Boating Class and have proof, i.e. a certificate or card
with your name and the date on it, you will need to take a boating safety course. If you meet above requirements you do not need to retake a boating safety course. But, if you have previously taken a safety course and cannot find the certificate then you will be required to take the course again. The boating safety course is an eight hour course (the three hour personal watercraft course does not fulfill the requirement.)
UPDATE: Southold 2020 Masterplan
A Suffolk Times report today on Southold Town’s Comprehensive Master Plan, by Beth Young, notes that Southold VOICE’s August letter, by John Betsch to the Planning Department, was key to the town’s elimination of the goal to reduce the percentage of hardened shoreline in Southold from the chapter on “Community Character”.
UPDATE: Southold 2020 Masterplan
A Suffolk Times report today on Southold Town’s Comprehensive Master Plan, by Beth Young, notes that Southold VOICE’s August letter, by John Betsch to the Planning Department, was key to the town’s elimination of the goal to reduce the percentage of hardened shoreline in Southold from the chapter on “Community Character”.
Pain in the Dock
By Joanna Lane
A beautiful waterfront home on Goose Creek, complete with floating dock and beautiful private beach, is rented short term to visitors. Showing the latest arrivals around one Sunday this summer, I was surprised to find an extra floating dock had mysteriously appeared and was now tied up to the permanent dock. Somebody around here has lost one. My first thought was to take a quick cellphone photo and upload to my Facebook page, asking my friends to pass the word around. I just love social media for the speed in which it’s possible to reach the wider community and get the word out, especially in a crisis, which this was. The tenants have rented the dock. My photo was uploaded to Facebook less than a minute later, together with a quick note, only I hadn’t factored in the text auto-correct feature.
Unload by Code – Pump Out Boat Program
As the mighty flotilla of recreational watercraft migrate to our pristine waterways for another glorious summer of fun and relaxation, the Southold Board of Town Trustees have announced their sponsoring of the pump out boat program again. Announcement by the Southold Board of Town Trustees:
TRUSTEE MEETING NOTES NOV. 17
The pace was slow at the start as a group of neighbors complaining about beach egress and legal property fences on the beach occupied the work session.
The discussion of Non disturbance and non turf buffer took the next hour as an applicant who was the last one to buy into a canal front neighborhood ACCEPTED A RESTRICTION of a non disturbance buffer behind his bulkhead, as a part of his permit to build. The rest of the neighbors have non turf buffers. So everyone’s back yard is neat and pretty except one which looks like a tangle of poison ivy and weeds…a problem for the owner and the neighbors. When the applicant comes back next month I hope that the board decides to allow a non turf buffer at the bulkhead, bringing him into conformity in the neighborhood and also achieves the same result: to stop lawn runoff from entering the canal. The desired end result should be the focus of the discussion. (refresher: non turf=no grass; non disturbance= do not touch anything that grows there)
Halloween Tutorial – how to get a mooring
BOOOO-EEEEE! Please take a moment to enjoy our trick or treat – a Halloween tutorial on getting a mooring – just for laughs! And a special welcome to all our new subscribers to the SoutholdVOICE newsfeed. The video takes a while to load, so thanks for your patience. Make sure to turn up the volume and click the square symbol in the bottom right corner of the video player for full screen effect!
Southold Town Trustee Dredging Priority List 2010
At the July 21 Town Trustees meeting, Dave Bergen reported the following wish list for Suffolk County dredging. Note that neither Wickham or West Creek has permits in place so it is doubtful that they will have permits in time for the dredging window. Also remember that Southold is only one of 5 towns submitting wish lists to the County so in all likelihood only a few of the 10 will get dredged this year.
How many fish can you catch and keep?
‘Tis the season
Whether you’re casting off the beach, fishing from your kayak, 14’ Starcraft or a 36’ Off-shore Grady White, you need to be concerned with what and how many fish you can catch/keep. (If you are that lucky.)
Moorings in Richmond Creek
Photo: John Kramer
I took a ride with a SoutholdVOICE member who wanted to show me the situation in Richmond Creek. He, too, has been on the list for a permit to moor his boat for 8 years, just like the man I wrote about last month. Read More