Navigation Question- P.O. NWZ
 

New to this forum, but a long time boater on Winni - here's a question I have regarding the NWZ in front of the Bear Island Post Office.

This summer in particular, I noticed numerous boats running through what I, for years, thought was NWZ on the Pine Island side of the markers (black / red tops). I was wondering if the NWZ is strictly for craft on the Bear Isl side? I have to admit, as I look at the No Wake buoy's it would appear that way.

What's the REAL deal

it is odd...
 

The NWZ is rectangular with the long side parallel to Bear Island… So you can ‘cut the corner’ on the Pine Island side, slowing down for only a few feet… Not sure if that was the intent when it was designed, but that’s the reality for what is there…

Enjoy the extended summer weather, wish I was at the Lake!!!

P.I.G.

Thanks for the info -- That puzzled me all summer.

With that in mind, why slow down at all when "cutting the corner"? One could construe NWZ is only between the marked buoy's ehh? :devil:

The NWZ has four corners. One corner is very close to Pine Island. It is not possible to safely pass between Pine and the corner of the NWZ because there are some huge rocks just below the surface.

It is possible to "cut the corner" so you are only in the NWZ for a few seconds.

According to the Regulations
 

Placement of the NO-WAKE buoys is a guide. The regulations in my possession state, My regulations are about 10 years old, but I doubt that one has changed.

Bizer

Your chart shows the buoys north and south of the Post Office to be about 0.18 miles apart, or 950 feet. This is much larger than the regulated 300 feet.

This means we really don't need to slow down when passing along the Pine Island shore.

Have you recorded the actual location of the Post Office?

I checked the current (2005) no wake zones, they match Bizer's quote. I read that to mean that a entire channel between Bear and Pine is a NWZ for 150' north and south of the post office. So I envision a rectangle 300' long and as wide as the channel.

The NWZ as marked is more than three times larger than what you envision. 150' north of the Post Office does not even get to the end of Bear Island, and it is nowhere near Pine.

My plot plan shows it's 235 feet from the Mail Dock to the north point on Bear.