TIME: Almanac 1990/1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso/time/061989/06198900.058

Text File | 1990-09-22 | 4KB | 77 lines

LIVING, Page 64

Trouble in Their Wake

"Personal watercraft" can create a public nuisance


    Come summertime, there are two kinds of water people. There are
the swimmers, surfers, scullers and sailors, who take to the sea
under their own power or at the wind's mercy. And then there are
those who harness horsepower, turn a key and roar across the waves.
The naval battles between the two types have gone on for years, as
sailboats topple in the wakes of motorboats. But this year the most
visible -- and audible -- combatant promises to be one of the
smallest and peskiest of them all: the "personal watercraft,"
better known by Kawasaki's trademark Jet Skis. "Everyone I know has
had at least one close call," says board sailor Barbara Glunn in
Miami. "And it usually happened when one guy tried to beat the
antics of another."

    The skis are small, engine-driven craft that scoot across the
water. Like their landbound cousins, motorcycles and snowmobiles,
they are quick, maneuverable, noisy and a rush to ride. Costing
$4,000 on average, the scooters can reach speeds of 40 m.p.h. Sales
are believed to have doubled since 1984, and there are now over
200,000 personal watercraft in use from coast to coast.

    "I think a majority of the people who don't ride 'em hate 'em,"
observes Hawaii's state boating manager, David Parsons. This summer
that majority is likely to be more hostile than ever. Opponents
view the scooters as an intrusive and dangerous presence on
waterways. They point to the gruesome accidents and deaths that
have resulted from hotdogging skiers who use swimmers as a slalom
course. In Hawaii a six-year-old skier collided with a woman
kayaker; the woman died. In Arizona a baby girl sitting at the
shoreline was washed along the rocks when a skier sent his wake
crashing her way; she required 130 stitches. On Easter Sunday at
Miami's Hobie Cat Beach, a nine-year-old boy was caught in the path
of a water-scooter race; he died the next day. The skiers
themselves suffer many of the injuries. Last summer a ski buff was
killed when he hit a seawall.

    Many resort-area residents also complain of the noise and
nuisance of thoughtless riders who buzz fishermen, menace rowboats
and rip through the quiet of mountain lakes and peaceful beaches.
As a result, several states and localities have passed legislation
in recent years regulating where and by whom the motorized skis may
be used. Many have set the minimum age for riders at 14, require
use of a life jacket and forbid riding at night. In Florida, where
eleven deaths have occurred since 1987, the state plans to outlaw
such reckless maneuvers as weaving through powerboat traffic. Local
authorities in Arizona and Oregon have restricted the use of
personal watercraft to designated areas on certain lakes. New
Hampshire has banned the craft entirely from all lakes and ponds
of less than 75 acres, and last week restricted the craft, with
some exceptions, from coming within 300 ft. of the shoreline.

    The laws and negative publicity have prompted the watercraft
industry to expand its safety campaign. Industry spokesmen maintain
that the machines are safe but that they are too often used
irresponsibly. "Many people who are buying personal watercraft are
buying their first boat," says Catherine Martin, spokeswoman for
the International Jet Ski Boating Association. "They'll break some
of the laws that other boaters are aware of without even knowing
that they're alienating anybody."

    This spring the Personal Watercraft Industry Association
started distributing safety videos, posters and user instructions
to dealerships. The association has also drawn up its own suggested
regulations, which include a minimum age of 14 for riders of
privately owned vessels and 16 for rentals. "The reason it's been
a zoo out there is because there has not been any regulation or
guidance," says Roger Hagie, chairman of the P.W.I.A.

    Miami skier David Ingle, 30, suggests that user attitudes
deserve much of the blame. "Riders brought it on themselves," he
says. "Many times I'd tell them to slow it down, to ease up. The
things they said back you couldn't print. They grab a beer, jump
on a machine, and it all goes to their head." This summer's new
laws may force skiers to approach the machines more cautiously, and
prevent another season of tragic accidents.