Quote:
Originally Posted by winnidiver
I am really not in favor of speed limits on the lake.My personal observation is most boats don't go over 45.But I thought I would stick up for Evenstar.Go though the forum threads for last summer and read all the Capt B stories.Now what makes you think that it is unbelievable that boats come too close to her.On any summer weekend and most week days in July and August I can have quite a few boats go by me to close,and I am in a 19' cuddy. When I am in my kayak I am mostly in bays and narrow parts of the lake so they go even closer.I guess my kayaks are more stable though I have never been swamped.
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Winnidiver,
You are correct. That is what is really happening on the lake.
I believe that boats come too close to Evenstar in his or her opinion. I also believe that Evenstar is very concerned about this.
I kayak as well and I also have a powerboat. There are two different lakes when I am in the kayak vs. when I am in the powerboat. However, I have not read anything that tells me the powerboats that are concerning Evenstar are traveling more than 45 MPH. I just read that they are going fast. When you are in a kayak and a boat is within 400' of you going 30 MPH, from your observation point, it is going fast!
I have one rule with the kayaks. I use this rule and my children aged 12 to 24 also use this rule. The rule is: On weekends and when there are a lot of powerboats in the area, stay within 150 feet of shore. We are located very close to the exit of the Weirs Channel, on the lake side. This is a very busy place! This rule works great for us!
None of the boats that come close to us are moving more than 10 MPH. If these boats observed the 150’ rule, they would not be moving more than 6 MPH that close to shore. From time to time a boat traveling 15 to 20 MPH comes close, but that boat is well below the proposed 45 MPH speed limit and already violating the 150' rule.
We also tow the kayaks to other areas of the lake to enjoy the various wildlife and other lake environments. While in the kayaks, we always make sure our paddles are brightly colored, that we wear bright colored PDFs and that we pay close attention to what is happening around us. This is the kayaker's version of maintaining a proper lookout.
We completely enjoy both our powerboat and the kayaks, even though we are close to the Weirs a busy part if the lake. We feel that there is a time and a place for each and everything regarding our boating on the lake.
We do not kayak in the middle of the broads. Wherever we kayak, we make sure we are highly visible by wearing the bright colors We do not kayak more than 20' from shore at night, but we do kayak at night with the proper lighting.
I feel the rules we have today on the lake, specifically the 150' rule, if properly followed and strongly enforced; give us the boating environment we want in both our kayaks and our powerboat.
If there was to be additional speed limits on the lake, in addition to the numerous no wake zones and the headway speed 150' rule, they should be made in the interest of all safety minded boaters. This includes the GFBL crowd. 45 MPH across the entire lake is too restrictive to all boaters, but 25 to 30 MPH at night seems to make sense.
My personal opinion is we should not be kayaking in broads more than 500' from shore. To do so shows a complete disregard for personal safety and all common sense. A rule restricting speed to 45 MPH daytime for some areas of the lake while allowing higher speeds in the broads really makes sense to me. This gives something for everyone. Some may feel this is too complicated, but to me with the numerous no rafting zones and no wake zones, different rules for different areas of the lake already exist.
I realize the folks with homes on the islands are very concerned about the speed of powerboats and I do not question their concern. However, there are no islands in the broads, so why are they so concerned about what happens out there?
We have a big lake that is absolutely wonderful. It should be available for everyone, while maintaining the safety of everyone. The current proposal in this year’s HR 847 is too restrictive and not at all supported by any collected speed data on our lake. Because we have the 150' rule, comparing our lake to lakes without the 150' rule makes no sense at all.
If the MP were able to focus on enforcing the existing 150' rule, coupled with the safe boating education certificate now and for the first time applicable to everyone, our lake will be a safe place for all.
If the MP gets stretched with enforcing the current rules and also enforcing a new 45 MPH daytime speed limit across the entire lake, it will be more dangerous kayaking where safety minded folks kayak: within 150' of the shore. This is because without more MPs at an added cost, how can we expect them to do what they do today, plus enforce the new speed limit? The MP are already doing the best job that they can do in making our lake safe.
The kayaker part of me and of my family is very concerned that the 45 MPH speed limit across the whole lake will dilute the enforcement of the existing 150' rule close to shore, making safety minded kayaking significantly less safe.
Please think about this!
R2B