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Ready for boating season!! Don’t overlook your boater’s card! Anyone born after December 31, 1954 who operates a boat with a 15 horsepower motor or greater (or a personal watercraft) in Washington’s waterways must possess a Boater Safety Education Card. There are exemptions to this requirement (listed in RCW 79A.60.640), but let’s just say that unless you are a commercial fisherman or a member of the U.S. Coast Guard with a marine license, you’ll need a Boater’s Card.

How do you get your Card? Go to https://www.boat-ed.com/washington/boating_card.html for approved boater education classes and step by step instructions for obtaining the card. You can attend classes or take an on-line course in the privacy of your home or while on your boat (provided it’s tied to the dock).

Once you get your card, you must carry it with you while boating and have it available for inspection by an enforcement officer. Don’t have a driver’s license but want to get a boater’s card? No problem. Even if your driver’s license is suspended or revoked you can still obtain a boater’s card. Make sense? For more boating safety information, see http://www.selanderobrien.com/practice-areas/personal-injury/boating-accidents/