Flood of new boat owners concerns NSW Maritime safety officers

A boom in new boat owners and jetski riders has NSW Maritime safety authorities concerned, with operations under way to make sure novice skippers are doing the right thing.

Sydneysiders are splashing their overseas holiday savings on new boats and taking to the Harbour in an ­armada of inexperienced skippers, worrying maritime safety guardians.

In the past eight months 52 per cent more boat licences have been issued in NSW and 26 per cent more private vessels registered than the same period last year.

The water is also awash with novice jetski riders, with more than twice as many new personal watercraft licences issued in October 2020 than October 2019.

Tony Aldhar, wife Elle and daughter Nadine on Big T, a boat he’s sensibly learning to skipper. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Cabarita man Tony Ald­har, 67, never owned a boat before splurging on a 15m gin palace in the week ­before Christmas.

“Big T”, a Princess P50 motor cruiser boasting a 675hp diesel engine, made him an overnight sensation with his adult children.

Trouble is, Mr Aldhar doesn’t yet know how to handle his new pride and joy.

“It has been a dream of mine for a long time to own a boat,” Mr Aldhar said.

“With international travel not available this year, all of the sudden the focus turned to Sydney waterways and I wanted to be part of it.

“I got my boat licence a couple of weeks before I took delivery of the boat in mid-December.

“It’s very daunting and I haven’t taken the boat out by myself yet, but I am getting lessons.”

Damian Logue and Mick Clelan, from NSW Maritime, conduct random boat safety checks in Sydney Harbour. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Mr Aldhar did the right thing on New Year’s Eve by hiring a professional skipper to take his family out on his new boat for a front-row seat of the fireworks.

He was praised by boating safety officers for taking the time to come to terms with his boat before casting off.

But boating safety officers from NSW Maritime are ­increasingly coming across new skippers without their sea legs, who need reminding of basic boating rules, understanding their equipment and anticipating quickly changing weather.

“We are finding more people get a new boat and their boat licence and head straight out on the water without taking the time to understand their capabilities, the vessel they’re operating, the waterway or the weather,” NSW Maritime principal manager Damian Logue said.

“Because people are boating without experience, they’re showing poor judgment and not realising the dangers associated with boating.

“While boating looks like fun, and everyone has a great time, there’s a serious side to it.

“We lost 25 people on the water last financial year, and this financial year we’ve had seven fatalities already.”

The first maritime safety and compliance operation of 2021 was staged this weekend, with a focus on speed, weather and safety equipment.

Boating safety officers on Saturday carried out random safety equipment checks on vessels across all NSW waterways, from the coast to inland dams and lakes.