[Paddlewise] licenses for boats

As a general principle, I prefer minimum government interference in my
life, but if a good case can be made for it, I'll accept regulation for the
greatest good for the greatest number (a proper Canadian attitude:-)!).
When I go kayak touring now, I already need some permits: 
The license for my VHF and my personal operators certificate for it. A few
years ago here in Vancouver, we had problems with large numbers of
immigrant fishermen yammering away on channel 16 in their native tongue,
tying it up for hours, and not seeming to understand repeated pleas to free
up the emergency/hailing channel. So I can see the case for regulation and
some proof of competency here, so the radio can serve its primary
emergency/traffic control purposes.
My fishing license. Again, I can see the case for this. We're doing so very
belatedly as far as West Coast salmon go, but we have to try and save the
fish stocks.

So, licensing for boats?
Actually, it's struck me for years as odd that you have to have a license
to move a couple of tons of metal around on a road, but, as long as you
weren't doing it for commercial purposes, on the water you could blast
around in tons and tons of metal and fibreglass, with thousands of
horsepower, without ever having to prove you had the slightest clue what
you were doing.
Again, the situation in Vancouver suggests the time has come for licensing
as far as motorised boats are concerned. There are a number of companies
that rent powercraft to tourists who, whether through ignorance or just an
I-don't-give-a-damn attitude, break local speed limits, and violate the
"rules of the road" in interacting with other traffic. There are several
"bottlenecks" under local bridges where this is a particular hazard. (Of
course there are also companies that send tourists out unescorted in rented
kayaks!) I'm glad to see the Canadian Coast Guard is making some exceptions
to license requirements for the Northwest Territories, where you can often
travel for days without seeing another boat, and boats are part of the way
of life. 

Licensing for kayaks and canoes? My initial reaction is that this should be
the lowest priority, since if we screw up we are more likely to hurt
ourselves or be hurt by other boats than vice-versa, but this is not
entirely true. We do have the potential to cause accidents that we
ourselves are not involved in, in the same way that a cyclist dodging and
weaving through traffic may cause cars to collide with one another. So
maybe paddlecraft licenses should be required only in high-traffic ports,
but not in the backcountry. In any case, since I already have my Coastal
Cruising Certification from the Canadian Yachting Association, I would
expect to either be "grandfathered" or to be able to "challenge" the test
without the need for further instruction if licenses were required for
paddlecraft.     
What thoughts from my fellow Canucks, and from America, the land of rugged
individualism?

Philip T.
N49°16' W123°08' 
"The opinions expressed in this posting are not necessarily those of my
employer, or indeed, of any sentient being."
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