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Originally Posted by Silver Duck
Let's try a few questions, and see whether we can come up with something we could all live with.
First, I've heard very little complaining at the idea of a night time speed limit. Is there some agreement amongst us that this wouldn't be a bad idea? If so, are we happy at the proposed 25 mph?
Second, would most of us be reasonably content with some areas of the lake having a 45 mph (or some other figure) limit and some areas having a higher (or no) speed limit.
Third, if so, what areas should be restricted speed areas, and which don't really require restrictions?
Silver Duck
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1) 25 at night bothers me just a bit, I think 30 - 35 would be more appropriate. Here's why: Back when the whole HB-162 question came up I sat down and tried to figure out what would be reasonable speed limits. I did my own analysis and the end results back up what my 30 years of boating told me. Figuring out what's appropriate for night-time, vs day-time, is a bit more uncertain. The big problem (for boat-boat collisions) is not that an aware skipper won't see the other guy but that it's much harder to judge distances at night. At what distance will a competent, but not superhuman, skipper figure out that he's "danger close" and take corrective action ? How effective will this action be ? Somewhere on some PC I have the numbers but the end result is that for a simple encounter btw 2 boats I'd be worried over 45 mph. So I back off 10 - 15 mph and arrive at what I think is a safe limit but not unecessarily restrictive. Now I find I'm always taking action waaay before the distance I set for above analysis but I'm a pretty cautious person, perhaps more so that what I'm count on in my above average skipper.
2) and 3) Again any place that doesn't have the sightlines to support "high speed" becomes a candidate for a speed limit. You could approach this as set zones (which I think I mentioned back in prior discussion) or do an extension of the NWS/150' rule (as has been suggested by another forum member). Slow to 45 mph when with 450' (a SWAG, not my real numbers) of shore or another boat.... or 60 within 600' or ... well you get the idea. Certainly a lot of the inter-island channels become speed zones by either method and the Broads remains limit free. Perhaps we could persuade Bizer to put out a chart with distance contours instead of depth contours to see what such a plan would look like.
FWIW : I think I recall Cal mentioning the concept of a speed limit on weekends and holidays vs one of the above concepts. Instead of dividing the cake up into pieces, it's more like timesharing.