Boater Safety Now Required

Janesville Gazette

Boaters cruise down the Rock River near Newville on Sunday. Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill into law last week that requires future boaters to pass a state-sponsored safety course.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff


Veteran boater Erik Samuelsen, 39, would have seemed like a fish out of water if he'd joined his 12-year-old son last year at a boater's safety course.

But in taking it with friends his own age, Samuelsen learned a "tremendous amount."

"I would just highly recommend a boater's safety course, whether they be a seasoned veteran or especially the newcomers," said Samuelsen, co-owner of the Rock River Marina in Edgerton.

"You'll certainly bring something away from it and be safer in the process."

Samuelsen said it's an excellent idea that future boaters in Wisconsin must pass a state-sponsored safety course or face fines under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jim Doyle last week.