Quote:
Originally Posted by Bear Islander
The situation with camps is not a "stalemate" as you suggest. The speed limit bill is law. That is more link "checkmate".
As a former camp director I can tell you it doesn't work the way you assume. The camps on our island have two week terms, however many children stay for multiple terms or the entire summer. There are already many days in which small sailboats can't go out. Days that are calm or very windy or raining are already out. Plus days when thunderstorms are in the area. Now you want to add three or fours days a week because the lake is out of control on weekends? I don't think so!
However none of this is to the point. If a lake is so crowded with "thrill-seeker" that it is not safe for children in a small boat then something has to change. And that change is the thrill-seekers have to go. If you think lake camps with a total of thousands of children should keep those children on shore because you want to go faster than 45 mph, then you are correct, we will never agree on speed limits.
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It can work just fine, you just don't like it.
[edit]And excuse me but when did Saturday and Sunday turn into 3 or 4 days? Talk about spin! I suggested keeping them close to the camps on the weekend plus maybe Friday afternoon, that's 2.5 days at best 3 if you strecth it to all day Friday as well, but never 4 days. You know for a fact that the lake is not busy during the week, even at your NWZ, so there's no rerason they can't find enough to do for 5 days when it's not busy.[/edit] There's no checkmate as I was referring to our differing opinions, not a chess match of who got their way. There are plenty of nice boating days during the week that would work for the camps. There are also plenty of activities that don't involve boating they could do as well. The lake is not crowded with "thrill-seekers", it's crowded with boats.
There are more boats on the lake now than there was 10 years ago and in 10 years there will be more than there is now. Speed limits won't change that, enforcing safe passage laws will do more for safety 10 years from now than a speed limit law. You want to live on the lake as it existed in the past, it can't happen and never will.
Can you imagine 100 or so years ago someone was out on the lake in a canoe and saw their first motor boat go screeming by at 15 MPH, I'm sure that caused quite a stir as well back then. Times change, we can't stop that and making the wrong decisions today will just make it worse later. If we enacted a law every time someone complained about something they didn't like nothing would ever be better. It already happens to much as it is but that's a different thread altogether.
I am not the "thrill-seeker" you envision. I enjoy everthing the lake offers. I get a thrill riding my jetskis and get the same thrill kayaking around and seeing all the wildlife that frequents our lake, or just sitting on shore relaxing looking out over the lake and taking in all that beauty. I am just against people imposing their will on me when it doesn't make sense or is just plain wrong. I do the same thing at work, I force policies to be reviewed because things change and so should policies, etc..
Anyway, point being the speed limit law, In my Opinion, is dumb.