I “boarded” this recreational boating line of work rather late in my life.  Actually, it was just before I turned 60.  I serve as the Director for the Department of Boating and Waterways, popularly known as Cal Boating.  There are so many aspects of my job ranging from promoting boating access, boating safety education and so on.  The one segment of my responsibility that has loomed larger than all else, and has become a burning passion is boating safety.  The State of California, 55 other states and territories in the nation spend millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of hours in outreach, education and law enforcement.  We use radio, television, publications, classroom instruction and so many other venues to reach out to those boaters that navigate our waterways.  We try to instill in them safety habits, such as courtesy to other boaters, sober boating, wearing a life jacket, etc.  It is imperative for boaters to acquire these habits for an enjoyable and safe outing.  When all else fails, the task of recovery falls to those involved in search and rescue missions.   

The quality that is most apparent in these people is that they do their jobs with the same burning passion I mentioned at the outset of my introduction.  It is also a common trait that they all find it hard to let go, to leave their chosen line of work.  Even in retirement you will find them hanging around the stations or attending events, where they know many of their “compadres” will be to exchange stories or to find out about the latest equipment or techniques that have been developed. 

As you navigate through the pages of this site and read the stories, you will find that caring and compassion is interwoven into the very fabric of the tapestry of the many lives and adventures depicted within.   These qualities, the sacrifice and the caring have rubbed off on me and drive me to ramp up my efforts locally and nationally to get boaters to boat safely and, maybe, reduce the number of times they have to face danger because all else has failed.