Lighthouse Charges - Rant Alert

[Charlton]

reading the posts and my son being on the lifeboat and most accidents he attends are caused by lunatics not knowing one end of a bot from the other. I must say that i think boat owners should have to take some form of test, not only for their own sakes, their families but also for those around them. But trying to raise a few bob in this manner is sheer stupidity. All it will do apart from upsetting present boat owners, no doubt making a few sell up. it will deter others from buying new boats and equipment and presnt boat owners up grading. In other words the short term gains will become a long term loss in jobs and revenue already being taken off baot owners. I mus say I have been a labour supporter all my life. But is this government actually labour, they seem to have no hard and fast principles, change their mind at a whim and try and get money off the working class as often as possible. Me thinks at the next election, if all smooth talker is still in charge i will be giving voting a miss for the first time ever.

[DaveMason]

Hit the nail on the head there Alan . Just out of interest , the RYA powerboat course is readily available ( I took it and it and it gives a basic grounding ) . Would some compulsory training improve the safety situation ?????

[Stores]

Could\'nt agree more with the test idea Alan and I\'m sure that all the guys who fish offside would support you. The school mini bus, which has seen a few thousand miles on my fishing trips, now demands a 4 hour test, every two years. I have no issue with that. The levey is another matter - a short term money maker with a long term loss attached. While we\'re at it (and I sympathise with you guys for whom a pay rise is pie in the sky but just to amplify the point regarding this government) I had my pay rise today for 2004/2005. It worked out at £62 a month. After off takes - tax £31, NI £6 and Pension £6 it means I give back 3/4 of what I gain.Could live with that if I thought it was going to help something, anything I value but I suspect most of it will be pi**ed up some political wall.

[Charlton]

Thing is you can go into any where that sells boats, including the boat show and buy a boat of any size or discription and do not have to prove you can drive one. Many accidents are caused by someone buying a speed boat and taking it straight to the sea thinking it is easy, we all know it is not. Before anyone buys a boat they should have some form of certificate the RYA\'s would be ideal. I must put my hand up here and state i took no certificates, all i can say is I started off with a small boat and engine, after getting quite a few years of experience withother baot owners first, and then worked my way up the ladder. I wish i had taken some courses to fine tune my boating skills. Sadly i no longer have a boat \"bad back\"

[DaveMason]

Going out with someone is by far the best way Alan , I never got the chance so I took the short course . Still nee good at knots like :P

[charlie]

if we cant av Maggie back how about TED he was a boater

[jeff]

Alan,

I agree completely about the boat test...whilst I\'m only a passenger I cringe at the way some boats are handled at times. We had two near misses on Sunday, (see the Volante catch report). A boat can be a very dangerous tool in the wrong hands!!

Jeff.

[Stores]

Watching the programme on the Royal Mail- have you received the latest installment Alan or has someone ran off with it. Frightening...

[Charlton]

Just recieved latest installment Dave, just about to settle down and read it. No extra chrges this time

[Charlton]

Ell have you got any info on which radio 4 programme it was, and who was on it.

[Charlton]

heard anymore Ell, no answer from radio four, but after a few times of trying eventually got an answer from the labour party \"they know nothing about these issues\"

[willywetegg]

No surprise there Alan.

[Charlton]

Could this be another turnaround when they realsie how many people are complaining and making enquiries. Stealth taxes spring to mind.

[CJS]

I would imagin a boat tax would be near imposible to police, the same way as VHF licences are rarly if ever looked for, seen someone official check my marina once in 20 years back in 1992 I think? They may make marinas collect the tax for them, like VAT! ! ! popular or what? But that still leaves trailed boats, wet moored craft, quite a few needles in a very, very BIGGGGGG haystack, some one is p!55ing in the wind, obviously don\'t understand boats, probably got a chip on the shoulder? But you wait, 2006 and the EU will screw pink diesel, any one got a \'streight banana\' ! ! ! I will pay a licence if they stop the decimation of our costal waters with gillnets, dont spose\' they know what a gill net is. I would not be suprised if Toney Blair and co., think that fish gets caught filleted and ready battered ! ! ! CJS

[Ell]

Don\'t know anything other than what I heard on the radio Alan, it was definetly R4 (or 5 live) sorry I can\'t help further.