Quote:
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Originally Posted by restauranteer
"...Could you please supply some relevant data on how, in your own words, you could become a speed bump?
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It's a little unclear what is being asked here. How about these definitions?
"
GFBL" stands for
Go
Fast
Be
Loud ('Tip-o-the-hat to BoaterEd)
"
Speed Bump" is what the oversized
GFBL boaters call any smaller boat.
"
Lake Lice" -- is what the oversized
GFBL boaters call...well, you'll just have to guess.
"
Blow Boat" -- or Snail Boat -- a sail-powered vessel.
"
Poker Run" is a loosely organized race of scores of
GFBLs, generating large numbers of complaints from "Speed Bumps" and a token contribution to a needy local governmental agency.
All of my boats (Winnipesaukee-traditional: sail/paddle/power) are smaller than the
GFBLs.
Moreover, none have more than 25HP, and are NH exam-exempt.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by restauranteer
And yes, the on the weekends Winni gets quite crowded!
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A mid-day "sail" usually keeps me on The Broads for 5 to 6 hours on a sunny day.
All the time, moving...listening...observing
...moving...looking...watching.
You see a
lot of mischievous, reckless, negligent, drunken -- and sometimes lewd -- boating activities in six hours of active boating in a day.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by restauranteer
Well, I have family and friends that boat the Winni, with me along on occasions (depends what's in the picnic basket).
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I carry just an apple. (Can't have distractions while sailboating).
Quote:
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Originally Posted by restauranteer
If you have that information readily available and documentable, I would be surprised as to why you would not be willing to share that immediately with all of us, in the name of safety!..."
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1) This state is woefully inept in promulgating documents regarding boating incidents.
Illinois and Missouri are excellent. Florida, with ten-times the number of registered boats as New Hampshire, is just "fair".
http://www.mswp.state.mo.us/news/NRD...ct=2&ID=040114 http://dnr.state.il.us/law3/report/04/June04.htm http://www.floridaconservation.org/l...ts/summary.htm
There are many jurisdictions reporting in these states (municipal, wildlife, sheriff, state, conservation, water patrol), but all have decent reports available on-line.
Ever
try to find a New Hampshire boating accident report?
All you'll find is "Boating Accident Attorneys".
http://www.attorneylawyernetwork.com...hire/state.htm
2) In a state without a boating speed limit, a police report can't show "EXCESS SPEED" as a causative action. (Preferring "reckless operation" instead).
In the last official NH site I could find to visit -- possibly hosting the data you request, the MPs stated that
(I'd gather the remaining dearth of data is due to NH insisting on tourist-friendly information at its official websites).
3) At this forum, there are the occasional requests for information about "a boat accident". Those end up becoming "orphan" threads. There's just no information available -- and probably won't ever be until the MPs get a decent police-report website put up. (And probably not then).
4) Had our lake's most famous
GFBL boater
not run from the scene, the "incident" would have been "below the fold" in the newspapers.
Regarding such hit&runs, I've archived four such
GFBL fatal incidents.
Running from the scene has to do with insurance premiums, as most of those boats are listed as "RESTRICTED" or "CAUTION" in American Modern Insurance data:
http://www.sullivan-sullivan.com/pdf...T_LIST2004.pdf
So!...the short answer is, there's no way
"...to share that immediately with all of us, in the name of safety!..." New Hampshire has left us with heuristics.
You want stats? Go to the
"Official Winnipesaukee Lake Depth Gauge" website.
Or look at where the water's height is on your dock.