Introduction
There is an opinion that people need to have a license for leisure boats since it assists in safeguarding the safety of the operators in the water. Consequently, it is not guaranteed that all those with the license have an efficient track for operating a leisure boat. The UK government agency should closely monitor the use of leisure boats. This is to ensure that there is safety in the waters.
Despite having a license in place, this does not mean that all the operators of the leisure boats should possess a license to run their daily experiences (Stebbings et al.,2020). Regarding safety, one must acquire a license before operating a leisure boat. However, a debate is to be carried out to develop a long-term solution to the requirements of licenses for leisure boats in the UK. This will, therefore, provide the most appropriate solution to the matter arising at hand through legislation at the parliamentary level.
Arguments For Mandatory License for Leisure Boats in the UK
The Importance of Ensuring Safety on the Water
The first speaker of the team who advocated the introduction of licenses heavily relied on the fact that it is necessary to ensure safety on the water. This is a critical aspect, as there are many amateurs who go sailing and, due to insufficient experience, cause accidents. These incidents thereby pose a threat to the lives of not only other people but also the individuals themselves, managing or being on the ship.
Therefore, most people and other countries have cooperated with a license as a necessity while operating a leisure boat. Some countries, such as France, Spain, and China, have considered this license as a great measure of restriction (Stebbings et al.,2020). For instance, all the leisure boat agents and operators have been restricted from carrying out their operations without the required license.
The main reason for having a license is that it is a true reflection of safety, education, and training. The existence of a license has ensured safety in the waters because most agents with a proper license have expressed great measures of safety all the time in the ocean. Creating jobs is another point that was not left out by the speaker (Turki, 2022). The speaker insisted that the existence of a license has elicited competence, which has been connected with job creation for the qualified to handle various leisure boats and ride those who do not possess a license. Consequently, this has therefore been achieved through various training courses that a person needs to pursue before acquiring a license.
The Need for Mandatory Training for Leisure Boat Operators
The second speaker directed the audience’s attention to the fact that it is necessary to introduce basic training for people who want to manage leisure boats. The training courses must be offered and be affordable, so a person bears no reason to fail to access a license to operate a leisure boat. The second speaker relies on the references that a person is only required to spend 23 pounds on theory work and 62 pounds on practical work in the UK (Dąbrowska et al., 2021). This, therefore, qualifies as the affordability of the training courses for all the participants who have an interest in acquiring a license for a leisure boat.
A person only needs a basic and a standard theory to enable them to maneuver in the ocean. This makes it easy for the UK government to make this a requirement in consideration of the affordability and basic theory, which can be easily understood by the leisure boat operators. In 2020, 767 deaths and 3,191 injuries were recorded in the UK in regard to leisure boats, and this was due to a lack of safety goals (Byrnes & Dunn, 2020). Therefore, a requirement for a license for a leisure boat should be implemented to reduce the number of deaths and injuries in the UK.
However, 9,800 people have died in the waters. In 2021, some boat riders got stuck in rocks due to incompetence (Byrnes & Dunn, 2020). The speaker presenting the argument believes that if the riders or operators had a license to operate their leisure boats, this could not have happened. Exams should be put in place and be passed before anyone is given a license. Only those who have qualified and passed the exams will be eligible to assess for the license. The exams will act as a proper assessment of those who are competent and those who are less competent. The proposer says that the chief inspector in charge of the department has insisted that proper training should be done on how operators should handle the equipment. Additionally, he says that cruising for qualified personnel is much safer than for the unqualified.
Arguments Against Having License for Leisure Boats in the UK
Experience and Competence vs. Licensing
The opposing speaker believes more in experience and competence than what is reflected on the license. Handling a boat requires competence, as different situations demand varying levels of skill. Possessing a license does not necessarily mean a person is prepared for all scenarios. While the license may offer a sense of security to recreational boaters, it can also create false confidence in those with limited expertise. (Turki, 2022). Experience with affordable training could be the best way to go other than a license to operate a leisure boat. People can also use dubious means to acquire the license, but this cannot justify the competence of the boat owner or agent.
There is a great difference between competence and having a license. Having a license is not an equal threshold to competence (Dąbrowska et al., 2021). In this case, a person can undergo the full training of the leisure boats but still fail to thrive in the waters. This disqualifies the statement that a license is a requirement for leisure boat operations. Individuals who have undergone training often excel in theoretical knowledge but may lack practical experience. While a license can be obtained, it does not necessarily demonstrate hands-on expertise or competence in the field.
The Licensing Gap: Training Deficiencies and Access Issues
The first opposing speaker finds another chance at the end of the debate to reveal that not everyone who has a license gets the required training with a justification for having access to a license. Additionally, excess training institutions in the UK do not provide a standard way of training on matters of leisure boats. There are various people who have not trained nor have a license but are very competent in handling a leisure boat. Therefore, a license is not equal to experience. Sailing experience and competence are more important in the Caribbean than the license.
Licensing and Its Impact on Organizational Profits
The second speaker from this side of the debate points out that many organizations profit from people. The speaker references that there was a 10 Million pound profit in the year 2020 accrued from the leisure boats (Byrnes & Dunn, 2020). This was because there were no regulations nor restrictions set on the requirements of operating a leisure boat. This, therefore, indicates that the implementation of a license will create a reduction in the revenue collected in the UK.
The factor behind giving people the opportunity to sail is that it has a positive effect on psychological health. Therefore, exposure helps this sport to deal with such deviations as excitement and stress. The speaker repeatedly points out that the presence of a license does not always mean that the sailors have proper competence, which confirms the point of view of the opposing team.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the debate on the need for a license to operate a leisure boat is of particular value. Both teams of speakers provided organized, referenced, and full-fledged arguments. This provided an opportunity to influence the audience to the greatest extent and to realize the importance of the problem under discussion. Moreover, it is worth adding that both teams observed calmness and confidence in the presentation of their points of view. In addition, all the speakers were based on the basic techniques of conducting debates. One of them, which was observed by everyone, was giving comments on the previously provided argument and then presenting the opposite opinion.
Therefore, there is no doubt that sailing experience and competence are more important than the license. This is because the license does not provide a clear or true picture of competence regarding the operator of the boat. There are different situations of handling a boat and this comes with competence. Having a license does not mean that a person can handle all situations.
The existence of the license will encyst most leisure boat users and provide false confidence to those who are less competent in the field. Trained individuals often possess strong theoretical knowledge but may lack practical experience in the field. However, having a license does not guarantee safety and reduced deaths in the ocean; everything depends on the competence and experience of the boat operator. Apparently, this is a clear indication that the existence of the license for leisure boats is irrelevant as far as safety in the water is concerned.
References
Byrnes, T.A. and Dunn, R.J. (2020) ‘Boating-and shipping-related environmental impacts and example management measures: A review,’ Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 8(11), p. 908.
Dąbrowska, J. et al. (2021) ‘Marine waste sources, fate, risks, challenges and research needs,’ International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), p. 433.
Stebbings, E. et al. (2020) ‘The marine economy of the United Kingdom,’ Marine Policy, 116.
Turki (2022) Requirements of license for leisure boats in the UK/ For and agents having them. Web.