[Evenstar]

Just because a vessel is smaller does not make it more dangerous. There’s a whole bunch more than size to consider - such as the ability and knowledge of the operator, as well as the design of the vessel.

Ok, I explained all this last year in great detail (to the same people posting here now), but apparently you still don’t understand. A sea kayak is not the same type of boat as a recreational kayak. My kayak is made for large bodies of water, not small lakes and ponds. I cover 20 miles of lake in an afternoon and 4-foot waves and wind conditions aren’t usually that much of a problem – and I’ve never been out in what I would call dangerous weather conditions (I do check the weather reports – and I do keep a watch on the sky). On winni there are only a few spots where you can be more than a mile for some shoreline – which means that I can almost always reach a shore within 15 minutes. I’m also an experienced kayaker – not some beginner and I never go out without safety equipment - plus I’m in great shape – and I don’t paddle alone on the larger lakes.

A 45 mph speed is not a magical number, but it is (in my opinion) a reasonable speed (just like 65 is a reasonable speed for most sections of the Interstate). What a speed limit does do is that it gives something concrete for people to follow (and for officers to use). And if you don’t believe that a speed limit makes a difference, go visit Squam – and look at the number of kayaks and canoes out on that lake.