Safety suggests speed limit test...

fatlazyless · 03-18-2007, 07:50 PM

Hi Silver Duck. On busy times like sunny weekends, I like to go out to buoy 3 in a kayak and mess around in the two to three foot wakes. I have a 12' kayak that is not capable of long distances so I stay close to the shore. Always staying on the inside of the buoy for safety and have never had a problem with motorboats cutting inside the flasher buoy. Most of the time, the two opposing lanes of motorboat traffic pretty much line up like two lanes of traffic and space themselves safely apart as they pass through the narrows formed between buoy 3 and Dolly Island. That spot can be a choke point and probably as boaters get closer to it from either direction, they see it is narrow and start thinking safe boating.

There's never been a collision or accident there that I know about. Drivers can see it coming from both sides and know they had better make some space adjustments with nearby boaters before they get to the narrow area. So, probably any space jockeying takes place a few hundred yards out before they run out of lane space. Sure, it can be congested on a busy weekend. The Marine Patrol likes to stake it out during busy times looking for 150' violations, or whatever. It seems like a lot of the boaters that get 'pulled over' by the MP's are on pwc's, probably for violation of the 150' rule. A lot of boats, including the Mount Washington, go through that spot.

The go-fasts like the cigarettes and skaters tend to slow down for a look-see as their look-ahead. sight zone is impaired as it is not a straight shot thru the narrows. It can have a bit of an angle to it going from one side to the other.

On sunny weekends the area can be congested and crowded. No surprise with that but everyone just lines up and cruises through according to their boat and their comfort level.

Dave R · 03-19-2007, 12:30 PM

FLL, you took a kayak through there?!!!! Lucky to be alive, lucky to be alive...

I don't think there needs to be a no-wake zone near FL3 (yet). It's always single file and perhaps 20 to 25 MPH on both sides when I go through. Not exactly fun, but not hard to deal with. I tend to enter that area from the northeast side of FL 70 when heading north though. That helps, me because it puts me on the starboard bow of boats running astride making northbound a beeline from FL 2 and it's always good to be the stand-on vessel in places like that...

Heading south toward FL 3 is never much of a problem, I turn hard to starboard at the light and head straight for FL 80, keeping right as much as possible. If I go toward Weirs beach or Meredith, I go around the outside of Eagle Island, from one red topped spar to the next. I think everyone headed toward Weirs/Meredith westbound should do the same. Would have made FL2 a lot more pleasant to deal with prior to the no-wake zone.

03-18-2007, 07:50 PM	#1
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,779 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 300 Thanked 1,022 Times in 744 Posts	Hi Silver Duck. On busy times like sunny weekends, I like to go out to buoy 3 in a kayak and mess around in the two to three foot wakes. I have a 12' kayak that is not capable of long distances so I stay close to the shore. Always staying on the inside of the buoy for safety and have never had a problem with motorboats cutting inside the flasher buoy. Most of the time, the two opposing lanes of motorboat traffic pretty much line up like two lanes of traffic and space themselves safely apart as they pass through the narrows formed between buoy 3 and Dolly Island. That spot can be a choke point and probably as boaters get closer to it from either direction, they see it is narrow and start thinking safe boating. There's never been a collision or accident there that I know about. Drivers can see it coming from both sides and know they had better make some space adjustments with nearby boaters before they get to the narrow area. So, probably any space jockeying takes place a few hundred yards out before they run out of lane space. Sure, it can be congested on a busy weekend. The Marine Patrol likes to stake it out during busy times looking for 150' violations, or whatever. It seems like a lot of the boaters that get 'pulled over' by the MP's are on pwc's, probably for violation of the 150' rule. A lot of boats, including the Mount Washington, go through that spot. The go-fasts like the cigarettes and skaters tend to slow down for a look-see as their look-ahead. sight zone is impaired as it is not a straight shot thru the narrows. It can have a bit of an angle to it going from one side to the other. On sunny weekends the area can be congested and crowded. No surprise with that but everyone just lines up and cruises through according to their boat and their comfort level.

03-19-2007, 12:30 PM	#2
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,985 Thanks: 246 Thanked 744 Times in 444 Posts	FLL, you took a kayak through there?!!!! Lucky to be alive, lucky to be alive... I don't think there needs to be a no-wake zone near FL3 (yet). It's always single file and perhaps 20 to 25 MPH on both sides when I go through. Not exactly fun, but not hard to deal with. I tend to enter that area from the northeast side of FL 70 when heading north though. That helps, me because it puts me on the starboard bow of boats running astride making northbound a beeline from FL 2 and it's always good to be the stand-on vessel in places like that... Heading south toward FL 3 is never much of a problem, I turn hard to starboard at the light and head straight for FL 80, keeping right as much as possible. If I go toward Weirs beach or Meredith, I go around the outside of Eagle Island, from one red topped spar to the next. I think everyone headed toward Weirs/Meredith westbound should do the same. Would have made FL2 a lot more pleasant to deal with prior to the no-wake zone.