By Frank Luba, The Province, July 20

VANCOUVER -- The general manager of the Jericho Sailing Centre in Vancouver is calling for changes to local marine regulations after a woman was injured when a powerboat slammed into her sailboat in English Bay.

A 25-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man from the University of B.C. Sailing Club were practising sailing drills around 7:40 p.m. Sunday about 200 metres off the Jericho centre. They were in a 4.2 metre Flying Junior, one of four boats participating in a sailing lesson.

The powerboat, which was driven by a 39-year-old Ontario resident, came at them at high speed. Both sailors jumped into the water before the powerboat hit their sailboat and the woman received a severe cut to her right foot in the incident. She was still in hospital Monday, according to Vancouver police spokesman Const. Lindsey Houghton.

The powerboat driver was arrested at the scene for dangerous operation of a motor vessel but released on a promise to appear.

Jericho general manager Mike Cotter has been petitioning the Vancouver harbour master and the parks board "for years" to have powerboats banned from the area around the city-run sailing centre, where there are 160,000 launches a year of sailboats, kayaks and other craft. Among those making launches were 8,000 beginners.

"For these people to bring this speedboat at speed into this area, it would be akin to you driving your high-powered sports car through a busy playing field," Cotter said Monday. "It absolutely makes no sense at all."

There were several other people in the six-metre powerboat and, according to Cotter, they were closely followed by another similar powerboat.

"They had to be the stupidest people to ever get behind the helm of a powerboat," he said.