Thursday, July 11, 2013  Ohio's new "Boater Freedom Act" has
some pretty big loopholes  Perhaps as concerned about votes as
much as he is about boaters' rights, Gov. John Kasich has
christened a new law designed to prevent harassment on the high
seas.  Or at least Lake Erie, the Ohio River and all the waters
between these two popular recreational boating waterways.  As is
his custom while attending the annual Fish Ohio Day, Kasich on
Wednesday addressed an issue related to boating or fishing. In
this case Kasich signed into law House Bill 29, more popularly
called the “Boater Freedom Act.”  Now while being stopped
repeatedly by waterways law enforcement officers is a royal pain
in the neck, calling the measure the “Boater Freedom Act” is a
bit of a stretch.  True, the past has seen a watery trail of
overly eager officers hailing boats over so the long arm of the
law can do spot-checks.  The goal of the officers was to see if
the vessel had enough life jackets for everyone on board, that a
functional fire exti