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Originally Posted by Woodsy
I just had to chime in on this one....
Lake Winnipesaukee is a PUBLIC resource, and as such is for everyone to use. Sailboaters, Kayakers, Canoeists, Jetskier, Powerboaters of all types and of course Landowners.
I guess the best solution is to require people to think... and unfortunately you cannot legislate common sense!
If your a Canoeist or Kayaker, and you want to paddle around Winni on a busy holiday weekend, use some common sense, bright colored canoe or kayak and wear a bright colored PFD so that you can be seen. I have on numerous occasions seen people out kayaking in the middle of the Broads in dark colored kayak while wearing a blue or black PFD! You don't go for a walk in the woods during hunting season and wear camoflage!
Not too much to say about the Sailboat crowd... they do seem to enjoy the broads alot when the wind is there... The smaller guys seem to have an attitude, but they are the ones most challenged by overgrown cruiser wakes splashing across thier bows!
JetSki owners are like motorcycle riders. They want to do thier own thing, they are small, fast and highly maneuverable, really don't care too much about rules & regulations as long they get to do thier thing.
The powerboaters really are thier own worst enemy! They all have differing opinions on how the lake should be governed and bicker quite vociferously about it and its all related to what type of boat they operate. The easiest guys to pick on are the GF boaters as they are the most visible of the bunch even though they are a very small minority of the powerboaters on Winnipesaukee. I don't use GFBL because not all go fast boats are loud and obnoxious. The majority of boats on the lake are family type runabouts.
The Landowners are like powerboaters, they all have opinions that relate directly to ownership of property around the lake.
The bottom line is, everyone is entitled to thier opinion. However, no one is entitled to restrict another persons pusuit of happiness. Choice is the operative word. People make thousands of decisions every day of thier lives. The speed limit on the highway is 65mph in SOME spots. I don't think there is anyplace in the country you can exceed 75mph. However, every car sold in this country is capable of exceeding the speed limit by a large margin. Some people don't like minivans (family runabouts), but they sell alot of them. Some like monster SUV's (Big Cruisers), some like hybrids (Kayaks & Sailboats) some like Convertibles (Jetskis) and some like exotic sports cars (Go fast boats). All of these vehicles, when driven properly provide safe, fun transportation and entertainment. They key is when DRIVEN PROPERLY! Its not so much the car or boat, but it is the manner in which it is operated!
a Speed Limit on Winnipesaukee is not a solution to any of the issues on the lake. It really only affects the go-fast boaters, who are a very small minority. At the hearing, the chief officer in charge of the Marine Patrol spoke AGAINST a speed limit, citing among other reasons, the lack of any empirical or statistical data showing speed was a consistent factor in boating accidents on the lake, the logistics of enforcing the limit, not limited to but including, costs in upgrading equipment (a simple police radar will not work there is a whole list of techinical reasons but I will save that for another post), increased manpower, and the new certificate program now in place.
Some here have mentioned Lake George, NY as a model lake with a speed limit. Lake George is nothing like Winnipesaukee. First off, most of the shoreline and all of the islands are owned by the State of NY. There are very few private residences on the water as compared to Winnipesaukee! The speed limit on Lake George is not enforced, although it is on the books, and is mostly cited in cases where alcohol intoxication and boating have mixed poorly.
We have enough rules and regulations on the books now. We need better driver education, and better enforcement of existing rules regarding boating safety.
Woodsy
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