[Woodsy]

Evenstar...

Bone up on your facts before you make blanket statements. As with any type of vehicular accident, Boat speeds ARE ALWAYS GIVEN in an accident. They may be estimated as in the case of Littlefield/Hartman, or they may be known as in the video posted by APS. But they ARE ALWAYS LISTED in the official accident report!

I don't have to prove you wrong as I already have. I have already stated my position numerous times based facts & statistics from unbiased official government reports. Unlike you I don't get my information secondhand from an association that has an axe to grind against Hi-Performance boaters. If there were lots of collisions due to excessive speed, I have no doubt WinnFabs would have found them and brought them to light.

Since the inception of the BSC requirement, and the obvious exception of the Littlefield/Hartman accident, I ask you to show me one collision that was the result of speed in excess of the 45/25 as proposed by HB-162? Oh wait... you can't... Because there wasn't one! I ask you to prove your case! If you know the specifics of accidents that you infer occured due to excessive speed, post the info here so we can all research it.

By your own admission you have very little paddling time (also known as experience) on Lake Winnipesaukee. My statement was in reference to Lake Winnipesaukee only! In no way did I mean to disparage you or your paddling abilities. I have said it before that I have no doubt your a safe paddler. I also agree with you that you have as much right as anyone else to enjoy Lake Winnipesaukee. I am probably alot more moderate than you think.

Originally Posted by Evenstar

As I’ve posted many times the main reason that there haven’t been more fatalities on Winni is that relatively few paddlers venture out on the main lake – for fear of being run over.

That is a blatanly false statement. Although one could infer that more boaters (regardless of type of boat) in a particular area would lead to more collisions and resulting fatalities. That is simply not the case. Boating accidents are down 68% in NH since the inception of the BSC requirement, while the number of boat registrations are up!

I most certainly can use the number of registered boats in the statistics. It is the standard set by and used by the USCG and NHMP. Sorry if you don't like using official government numbers. If you understood math & statistics, you would know that not having to register your kayak works to your favor. If we added another 50,000 or so canoes & kayaks to the registration numbers the death rate per 100,000 boats in NH would be even less.

Originally Posted by Evenstar

Faster speeds ALWAYS increases the chance of an accident happening.
If a lake is congested - higher speeds makes it more dangerous.
If a person is drinking – higher speeds makes it more dangerous.
If a person is not watching where they are going, higher speeds makes it more dangerous.
If a person breaks the 150 foot rule, higher speeds makes it more dangerous.
If a person has difficultly seeing another vessel, higher speeds makes it more dangerous.

As for your statement quoted above I have to take a few exceptions.

1. Faster speed does not always increase the chance of an accident. If that were the case, most accidents would occur on interstate highways, not town streets.

2. If the lake is congested, higher speed makes it more dangerous. Only if you are traveling at high speed in a congested area. 35 MPH could be considered high speed some summer saturdays off the Weirs!

3. If a person is drinking – higher speeds makes it more dangerous. If a person is drinking, ANY SPEED, in ANY VEHICLE is dangerous. If a person is willing to disobey the existing DWI/BWI laws, then they are not going to care about a obeying a speed limit.

4. If a person is not watching where they are going, higher speeds makes it more dangerous. If a person is not paying attention, they are dangerous at ANY SPEED. Just ask the guy in the stationary pontoon boat who was t-boned by a small SeaRay last summer. That collision occured at a speed much less than 45MPH. Had serious injury resutled, the operator of the SeaRay no doubt would have been charged with reckless operation.

5. If a person breaks the 150 foot rule, higher speeds makes it more dangerous. If a person has violated the 150' safe passage law, it doesn't matter what speed he was traveling. If he passes with 50' of you at 45 or at 70 it really doesn't matter, He already violated the law. If he collides with you, then he will be charged with Reckless Operation... a much more serious offense than a speeding ticket.

6. If a person has difficultly seeing another vessel, higher speeds makes it more dangerous. How would a person have difficulty seeing another vessel? Because of the wind? Thats pretty much a crock, without protective eyewear, any on-plane speed can cause you to squint. To me this is the same as #4. If you can't see where you are going, or whats in front of you then you have no right going at ANY SPEED!

Four out of the six statements you made involve violating an already existing law.

Woodsy