A Battle On The High Seas

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By Newsweek Editors

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Sailors in the Florida keys like to tell the one about warren Bailey. A few years back, the then 69-year-old skipper was enjoying a quiet day on the water--until Ernesto Palomino arrived on his Jet Ski. Palomino repeatedly circled and splashed nearby, disturbing Bailey's peace. Bailey grabbed a gun and fired, wounding Palomino in the foot. In court, he got two years' probation. But the way the guy on the next bar stool tells it, Bailey was acquitted of all charges after killing Palomino.

If Bailey had slain the man, many Top-sider types might have thought it a justifiable homicide. As the small, speedy vessels known as personal watercraft (PWCs) swarm bays and lakes, run-ins both literal and figurative are soaring. With names like Jet Ski and WaveRunner, the water-jet-powered craft can hit 60 miles per hour. They're fun--especially when thrown into tight turns--but they can be as loud as lawn mowers, and--when driven improperly--equally hazardous. PWC sales have more than doubled in the past three years. The craft now accounts for a third of all vessels involved in accidents, up from a quarter in 1993. Last year a record 56 people died in PWC crashes--but this summer might turn out to be the rockiest yet. Says coast-guard statistician Bruce Schmidt: "Indications thus far are that things are worse."

Erratic courses: That means tension on the water. "The mere sight of them incites some people," says David Barrett, director of New Hampshire's Division of Safety Services. Their noise, spray and erratic courses grate on sailors and powerboaters. And careless drivers mean danger. "The big problem with PWCs is behavioral," says Barrett. "There's nothing wrong with the vessels. It's the way some people operate them." Many PWC pilots are new to the water and unfamiliar with boating customs, making them prone to cutoffs and collisions. And licensing rules are few. With limits "it would be a lot safer," says Marcio Mayorga, of Florida dealer R&R Jet Tech. As it stands, "people just want to buy them and go." Make that buy them and go fast.

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