Accident data on under age 12 operators

[Bear Islander]

I understand the fear that young children do not have the experience or judgment to take a boat out on the lake without direct adult supervision. However there a few points to consider along those lines.

Firstly, this legislation is not just for Winnipesaukee, it is state wide including low horsepower boats on small ponds.

Secondly, this legislation does nothing to prevent an 8 year old from taking out a sailboat, of ANY size, onto the lake where they can sail around the entire lake all day or all night. If a 5 HP skiff requires adult supervision then so does a catamaran on the broads.

Lastly, despite our reasonable fears about the need for adult supervision the simple fact is that there IS NO PROBLEM for this legislation to fix. The present level of adult supervision must be working. Zero accidents and zero summonses is about as good as you can get.