What are the rules in NSW?

Kids (12-16) can get a young adult boat licence in NSW

In summary, the restrictions on their licence are:

They can drive at up to 10 knots on their own
They can drive at up to 20 knots when supervised by a holder of a full adult licence
They can act as the observer when towing people doing water-sports (great if mum or dad want to go for a tube, ski or wakeboard!)

They cannot tow
They cannot drive at night
They cannot drive a PWC (jetski)

The full details are outlined in the safe boating handbook from Transport NSW

What does MyHarbour offer?

We are happy for kids to come and do the course.

We feel that being out on a boat and being responsible for it grows maturity and responsibility in our kids - it's much better to send them out for a day exploring or fishing on the water then see them head to the mall for a day of vaping!

We want it to be a great experience for them. We also want the other students (adults) on the course to enjoy themselves

So, we make some requests/recommendations based on some years of experience having kids do these courses.

Don't send your kid of they are not going to study the online materials - it's not optional, if they turn up without having studied then they will fail the course. It's your job as a parent to ensure they do the pre-work.
Don't send your kid if they cannot concentrate for a few hours - the course proceeds at a good clip and we need the full attention of all students. Some kids just don't have the attention span to be successful just yet.
Don't send your kid if they have no interest and are only doing the course because mum or dad told them to. It's not fair on them. They will hate it and that vibe will spill over to affect the other students' experience too.

Finally, we encourage people to make mistakes so we can all discuss and learn from seeing the wrong thing as well as a the right thing. Some kids just cannot stand being told they did something wrong in front of a bunch of strangers - if that is your cherub, then it's best they don't come on our course!

No solo kids please

Remember we do ask that a parent, adult family member or adult friend do the course with them - we no longer accept solo kids on our courses.

It makes the kids more comfortable to have a friendly face aboard, it makes our lives easier from a child safety perspective and it makes the other students' experience better if the wheels do fall off!

If you have a licence already, come along for a refresher, no need to do the test. Just book a refresher course on the same date/session as your kid's licence course and you will magically end up on the same boat!

If your kid is pretty mature and not too fragile (and we haven't scared you off!) then please sign them up!