Bayside Boat Licencing

Hi my name is Steve Cox I am from Bayside Boat Licensing, firstly i would like to tell you a little about me and my business. I live in Victoria Point & have done so for the past 10 years, prior to this I grew up on the ever so relaxing Coochiemudlo Island which was a great lifestyle if you loved boating and fishing. My boating experience has mainly come from working on commercial vessels such as barges, fast ferries, tug boats & fishing vessels however living near the Bay I have had my fair share of small boats like half cabs & ski boats. My wife Michelle and I started our Boat Licensing business in May 2006 and have not looked back, it is a rewarding job and I thoroughly enjoy passing on my diverse experience and knowledge to the willing candidates of my Boat and Jet Ski courses.

A little about our training vessel, after much thought we decided on a 6m purpose built Ally Craft centre console with a bowrider built in, it has a Mercury 115 hp 4 stroke engine which pushes her along nicely. As you can imagine she has all the bells & whistles, GPS, sounder 27meg & VHF radio and it's a great boat.

Anyway enough about myself, lets concentrate on Safety! I am going to cover Capacity labels as I feel not enough people are aware of the importance or the fine value!!

With all the time I spend at the boat ramps unfortunately I still see so many boats without a Capacity label fixed to the boat or even in the correct position. Capacity labels are designed to show operators how many people they can have safely on board their vessel. Capacity labels MUST be placed near the boats steering area so that the operator can see the at all times. If you happen to have an Australian builders plate it can be used provided it can be seen within the steering area, however Maritime Safety Queensland recommends that you still use a Capacity label which is a more highly visible sticker that grabs your attention.

For those of you who have older boats or boats with no Australian builders plate, or if youre unsure of your boats legal capacity please just check the back of the Capacity Label as it has got a table and calculations for you to determine the safe carrying capacity. Now the cruncher!! The label clearly states Smooth Waters only what that means is if youre going to travel beyond Smooth Waters, which is North of Cleveland Point across to Amity Point North Stradbroke Island, the operator of the boat should consider reducing the number of persons taken on the trip. As a guide, reduce the number by one third. So if you could normally take 6 and you are going offshore fishing you should only take 4 persons. Under the general safety obligation if an incident was to happen and someone was to drown as a result of the vessel being unstable, the operator may be found to have operated the vessel unsafely as the vessel was unsafe with so many persons on board. If you haven't got a Capacity Label then I suggest you visit your local boating or tackle store and most will have them on the shelf, failing that Queensland Transport should have them at the counter for you. And if you would prefer, just call me and I can mail one out to you.. If you are caught by the Water Police without a Capacity label the FINE is $150

Till next month, have fun & safe boating.
Steve Cox
Bayside Boat Licensing
07 3820 6643
0434 148 705
boatlicensing@optusnet.com.au
www.baysideboatlicensing.com.au

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Kids Bending Rods

Kids Bending Rods has been operating since December 2005. the business started after my husband Jeremy and I were taking our own children fishing, yabby pumping and bait netting. While we were on the beach we found the other children on the beach would come up and ask us what we were doing. Some of the kids had never seen a yabby before and would end up spending most of the day with us while we dragged the bait net etc. We were quite surprised by the number of children who new absolutley nothing about fishing. So we started Kids Bending Rods in the hope that we couls pass on the enjoyment and the memories that we receive when our family goes fishing. Kids Bending Rods started at Wellington Point and now runs for Lota, Nudgee, Brighton, Surfers Paradise,Currumbin and Tallebudgera.
We also work with various councils around South-East Qld in their Healthy & Active Lifestyle Programs:
Chill Out for 10 -17 year olds,Gold'n'Kids for children and their grandparents and Gold for for over 50's. Programs only women are run through RAW [Real Adventure Women]
We have a strong emphasis on sun, beach and marine safety for the participants
as well as the marine life.

Program Information
Introduction to the basics of fishing for ages 4 and above
Participants learn all aspects of shore based fishing including:

Bait netting ~ Tying knots
Yabby pumping ~ Casting a rod
Baiting hooks ~ Beach safety

Bait Catching Program
3 hours $40.00

Beginnig to Fish Program
3 hours $40.00
Attend both programs on the same day for $70.00

Instructors are friendly and caring with positive Blue Cards.
Each participant receives a sample bag full of information on sun and marine safety fishing magazine, fishing DVD and more!

All equipment needed for the day is provided, including drinks and sunscreen.
Programs are run from the following venues:
Surfers Paradise - Tallebudgera - Currumbin - Brighton - Lota
Nudgee - Wellington Point

For bookings or more information please contact:
Samantha & Jeremy Beckmann on 0403 713 820
or visit www.kbrfishing.com.au