[Seaplane Pilot]

I have just received the propaganda mailing from WinnFABS in the mail. Interesting it was postmarked from "Suburban Maryland"...They got my name from the Long Island Land Owner's Association. I also know first hand that they have approached several, if not all, of the yacht clubs, condos and other organizations on the lake looking for endorsements for their speed limit efforts. This mailing is the biggest bunch of rubbish I have ever seen and they should be ashamed to have sent it. If I ever doubted my position on this issue (which I have not - I'm against it), this mailing would have rapidly pushed me to the other side. Referencing the Littlefield collision of what is happening to the lake is totally outrageous. Excessive speed was not even an issue in this case, yet they refer to this in an effort to support a speed limit.

One thing I have not seen referenced too much in these posts is the existing Boater Education Certificate requirement. This was passed into law and requires an operator to learn the boating rules and laws as they now exist. The biggest violation I have seen on the lake by far is the 150' rule. Out of everything taught in the class, this seems to be the easiest to remember and abide by on the lake, yet it's the most violated. I've been on the lake a lot of years and it's not violated most often by go-fast boats, but rather seems to be most violated by personal watercraft and family bowrider operators with 5 kids, 3 dogs, and a tube strapped to the back of the boat. Some of these people really don't have a clue as to the rules or where they are going. I mean no offense to anyone, but again, I call it as I see it. Do some of the go-fast boats violate the rules? Yes, of course. But the arguments of "safety" made by WinnFABS don't just apply to the go-fast boats. A speed limit is NOT the answer and I will do my part to fight this. Enforce the laws as they now exist, don't write new laws thinking that they'll solve the problem - they won't.