Channel Speed
When I went out fishing on Tuesday morning at 05:30 I knew that the channel was going to be a mess when the traffic picked up. The current was almost 3 MPH under the bridge. The boaters and jet-skiers that tried to make it through the channel with their throttles on the idle stops were not even making headway. It's my opinion that the knee jerk reactions from MP when a boat goes by in a no wake zone at 3-4 MPH while putting up a very small wake, has operators reluctant to add throttle when needed. Boaters are so afraid to touch their throttles in the channel that when more throttle is necessary to maintain steerage, kayos prevails. On a dead calm day, with no current, an idle is safe and appropriate in a no wake zone. When it is windy, and there is a 3 MPH current in a narrow channel, safe headway should be the rule of the day.
Happy Fourth of July!!
Dan
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