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Boat safety info a casualty of canceled show

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By Jim Morris, Contributing columnist 9:44 PM Saturday, December 3, 2011

With the recent announcement that plans for a 2012 Dayton boat show have been abandoned, several boat show regulars have been left dangling.

When you go to a boat show, any boat show, you will browse past booths manned by uniformed folks representing three different organizations who have the same goal: saving your life.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the United States Power Squadron and the Ohio Division of Watercraft use boat shows to get their safety messages out and promote their classes.

“Shows are a major source of students for us,” said David Friedman, public education officer for Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 63 out of Miami Twp. “When you get a group of people who are all interested in the same subject, it’s a good place to promote your classes.”

The three organizations teach a variety of courses designed to make everyone a better boater.

While courses vary from power boating to sailing, all three groups teach the basic 8-hour course that makes it legal to operate a power boat in Ohio. Law requires any person born on or after Jan. 1, 1982 to be able to show proof they have successfully completed an approved boating safety education course if they operate any watercraft powered by a motor greater than 10 horsepower.

The Auxiliary will soon be announcing a 13-week course in the evenings at Fairmont High School. You can get more information by calling Friedman at (937) 293-4131.

He said the Auxiliary would be at the Ohio RV and Boat Show in Columbus (Jan. 7-15) and the Cincinnati boat show (Jan. 20-22 and 25-29). One thing he would like the public to know right now is they can “give a class as a Christmas gift.”

Ohio Division of Watercraft

Melissa Kocher, supervisor of the Springfield office of the Ohio Division of Watercraft, said her office is planning to have a manned booth at the Indianapolis Boat Show (Feb. 17-26) for the first time.

“We know a lot of people from western Ohio will go to the Indy show, especially since there won’t be one in Dayton,” she said.

“It’s too bad. The boat show was a great place for everyone interested in boats to be together at one time. We hope it will return some day.”

The division will also have booths at the Cincinnati and Columbus shows.

Two Ohio Boating Education courses are coming up. The first will be Dec. 10 and the second on Jan. 28. Both will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Springfield Watercraft Office. The fee for the course is $5 for materials.

For additional information or to sign up for a course, call (937) 323-1582 or visit ohiodnr.com.

Dayton Power Squadron

The Dayton Sail and Power Squadron is part of the 45,000-member U.S. Power Squadron, offering a variety of boater safety courses to fit local needs.

Contact Dick Remski to get into a class, which will be starting after the first of the year. He can be reached at (937) 434-9263. The group’s website is: daytonsailandpowersquadron.org.

Outdoors columnist Jim Morris can be reached through his website at www.examiner.com/outdoor-recreation-in-dayton/jim-morris or by email at sports@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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