Red Beard Sailing

Maryland sets no general minimum age for operating a motorized vessel other than a personal watercraft, but an operator under 16 is never unsupervised. Under Natural Resources §8-712.2, someone under 16 must both hold a boating safety certificate and have an eligible supervisor aboard. For vessels under 11 feet, the supervisor must hold a certificate; for vessels 11 feet or longer, the supervisor must hold one and be at least 18. Someone born before July 1, 1972, may also supervise.

Personal watercraft operators must be at least 16 and carry a certificate if born on or after July 1, 1972. The rental operator sets its own minimum, so confirm it when booking.

Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources (mgaleg.maryland.gov)

Maryland does not issue a recreational boating license, but people born on or after July 1, 1972 generally must carry a boating safety education certificate when operating a numbered or documented pleasure vessel. This includes personal watercraft, whose operators must be at least 16. Anyone under 16 operating a motorized vessel 11 feet or longer without a certificate must instead be supervised by someone 18 or older who holds a valid certificate, or who was born before the cutoff. Exemptions include commercial operators, qualifying visitors, private waters, and those born before the cutoff. Renters of motorized vessels other than personal watercraft may be issued a 10 day temporary certificate after reading a safety sheet. Maryland Natural Resources Police administers the program.

Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Maryland Natural Resources Police (dnr.maryland.gov)

Maryland’s best boating choices include the Chesapeake Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, Deep Creek Lake and the Potomac River. The Chesapeake Bay divides the Eastern Shore from the Western Shore and combines open bay water with tributaries, creeks and marshes. Along the Atlantic coast, Ocean City and Assateague provide access to ocean waters. In Western Maryland, Deep Creek Lake is the state’s largest inland body of water, with powerboating, paddling and waterskiing opportunities. The Potomac offers river boating along much of Maryland’s western and southern borders.

Source: Maryland Office of Tourism (visitmaryland.org)

Among Maryland’s most popular boating destinations are Annapolis, for Chesapeake Bay sailing from its historic waterfront; Rock Hall, for direct Bay access and waterman culture; Solomons, for its busy harbor and cruises on the Patuxent River; Deep Creek Lake, the state’s largest inland body of water, with a public boat launch; Hart-Miller Island, for beaches and one of the Bay’s most popular anchorages; and Ocean City, for Atlantic game fishing and a public boat ramp at 87th Street.

Source: Maryland Office of Tourism (visitmaryland.org)