Quote:
Originally Posted by Evenstar
What you are leaving out is my statement that, when the operator of a high-speed powerboat invades my 150 foot zone, it is because he does not see me, and not because he intentionally came too close to me. And the reason that he didn't see me is because he was traveling faster than his ability to see small boats. Not because our brightly colored kayaks are difficult to see.
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This is a recurring theme in your posts, often emphasized in bold, and repeated quite frequently. The problem is that as far as I can tell, your conclusion here about people traveling too fast to see you in time seems to have no evidence to support it, it's just your own assumption.
And while your assumption MAY be true, until you provide some sort of data to back up your claims, I think most people are dismissing this argument of yours.
While your position may or may not be true, it is no more valid than the position that your kayak is too difficult to spot at any speed, and that you are intentionally putting yourself in harms way.
What the NH law doesn't say about mutual use of the lake is that people should apply a reasonable level of common sense, so as all users of the lake can enjoy portions of it simultaneously. I guess the problem with common sense is that it is not so common.
There are many many places on the lake that are difficult or impossible for powerboats to operate. These would seem to make excellent places to enjoy sports such as yours. There are also many many coves, bays, and other areas where you can kayak "alongside" other users of the lake (powerboats, etc.)
If you are having repeated infractions with powerboats, or any other user of the lake, YOU are most likely putting yourself in that position needlessly. It is reasonable to expect that you have a right to enjoy the lake in your kayak. It is unreasonable to expect that the entire boating population on the lake should somehow route around you to allow you to kayak wherever you please.
As an example of my statement above, which you will surely take issue with... The Mount travels a known path on its tours of the lake. By your logic, should you be able to paddle around in its path, while it adjusts course to avoid you?
Or, the area around most town docks can become quite congested on busy summer weekends as boats jockey for a slip. Would you expect that you should be able to paddle around in these areas "safely" (by your definition), while the boats maintain a course to avoid you?