
DATE: Saturday, August 9, 1997              TAG: 9708090318

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY TONI GUAGENTI, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:  134 lines

CALL FOR BAN RANKLES JET SKI SET DEALERS, OWNERS OF WATER SCOOTERS SAY BEACH SHOULD EDUCATE INSTEAD.

In a word, they're unhappy.

The owners of personal watercraft had little good to say about the vice mayor's call this week to temporarily ban water scooters while the General Assembly studies additional regulations.

Going a bit overboard is a nice way of putting it, said dealers and owners. What's needed instead, they said, is greater education and mandatory training.

``City officials are not proactive, they're reactive,'' said Virginia Beach resident David Gaskins, a former president of the Tidewater Personal Watercraft Club and competition manager for the International Jet Sports Boating Association. ``They don't think anything through.''

William Sessoms' request took an immediate toll at Sunrise Auto and Cycle, 1559 E. Little Creek Road, in Norfolk, according toMark Antal, who is a Kawasaki and Sea-Doo dealer.

Two customers backed out of buying personal watercrafts after they heard the news of a possible temporary ban, Antal said.

The loss: $15,000, he said.

Faced with mounting complaints about the reckless behavior of some personal watercraft operators, Sessoms called for increased regulation before someone gets killed. The Beach has had at least 15 accidents involving the scooters this year, none of which involved a fatality.

Sessoms asked City Attorney Leslie L. Lilley on Tuesday to look into what the city could do to put a temporary halt on the popular vehicles, which are frequently referred to by the trade name Jet Ski. Lilley agreed, but has forewarned Sessoms that the city would probably be powerless; such an edict would have to come from the state.

Lilley said he would present his findings to the City Council on Tuesday.

Chris Grime, 16, of Virginia Beach, straddled his family's red and white Yamaha water scooter at the Lynnhaven Inlet this week as he waited for his 11-year-old brother, Jason, to bring back a gas can to fill up the tank.

Chris and Jason wore life vests and Chris had the craft's red lanyard, or safety tether, attached to his wrist. The lanyard cuts off the craft's ignition should the operator fall off. The cord doesn't bother him, and he knows it's the law. ``It's just like (wearing) my watch,'' he said.

Grime said he'd take a boating course if it were mandatory, ``if you didn't have to pay that much for it.''

Many water scooter enthusiasts said if operators were educated about the laws already on the books, and obeyed them, the waters would be safer.

Passing mandatory-education requirements is ``certainly a trend across the country,'' said Mark Denny, a lobbyist for the International Jet Sports Boating Association.

The step has been necessary because of the growing popularity of the craft, he said.

In Virginia, for example, in 1994, the Commonwealth had 7,076 registered personal watercraft. By the end of June 1997, the number had risen to 15,814.

Manufacturers are also making the small boats more powerful, with speeds upwards of 65 mph.

The states that have imposed regulations say they work. Five years ago, Connecticut became the first state to pass mandatory education courses for personal watercraft use.

In addition, personal watercraft operators are required to take a special two-hour course on operating the vehicles, said Mike Clemens, a boating safety representative with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's Boating Division.

``Fortunately for Connecticut, we were able to get some fairly strict regulations before we had some serious personal watercraft problems,'' he said. ``We don't advocate here in Connecticut the singling out of any type of craft.''

Clemens added that the number of accidents involving personal watercraft has remained consistent at just about 8 percent of all boating accidents over the past several years, even though the number of registered vehicles has jumped from 1,600 in 1991 to 5,000 last year.

In Virginia, officials estimate that personal watercraft account for about 35 percent of all boating accidents, even though they comprise 6 percent of all registered vehicles.

To deal with the problem, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Coast Guard Auxiliary began offering courses tailored to personal watercraft use.

Virginia also has worked with water scooter dealers on educating buyers of the crafts.

Barry Hull, owner of Virginia Beach Watercraft Center on Virginia Beach Boulevard, stresses that he promotes safety to his customers. Each buyer watches a videotape on safety in the store and takes a 20-question quiz.

``You try to let them know responsibility helps us all, not just themselves,'' Hull said in his store's showroom, filled with Sea-Doo scooters. ``If you drive them right, there's really no problem.''

Phillip L. Powers, president of the Tidewater Personal Watercraft Club, said his group advocates mandatory licensing of all boaters. The club, comprising about 40 owners, formed in the late 1980s to combat legislation that would severely restrict the use of the small boats.

Powers said the problem with some of the newer personal watercraft courses is that many instructors aren't themselves skilled water-scooter users.

David Parker, who owns several personal watercraft rental shops in the Tidewater area, doesn't think courses should be mandatory.

``The majority of people who go out there and cause the trouble know what they're not supposed to be doing,'' Parker said as he waited on renters at his Rudee Inlet Jet Ski shop. ``Ninety percent of the people know what they're doing is illegal.''

Parker called for stricter enforcement.

Jack Nourie, commander of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 51, estimated that 75 percent of all boating accidents would probably be cut out if operators received training and education.

``It's knowledge,'' he said. ``Knowledge is the answer to a lot of the problems.'' MEMO: State and Beach regulations/B4 ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

D. KEVIN ELLIOTT/The Virginian-Pilot

Barry Hull, owner of Virginia Beach Watercraft Center, fears that a

suggested temporary ban on water scooters will hurt business.

STATE RULES

Virginia's rules for personal watercraft include:

Operators must be at least 14 years old.

Operators and passengers must wear approved flotation devices.

A lanyard must be worn which will shut off the craft's ignition

if the operator falls off.

Personal watercraft may not be used before sunrise and after

sunset.