Those Dastardly Witches!
 

Evening everyone...

Being that this is my first post on the board, I wanted to contribute with a personal story from earlier today. As a 3 year boater on Winni, I have begun to feel more comfortable with the lake in the areas I travel most frequently. With the boat out in Smith Cove, I usually travel out Meredith, Paugus Bay, the Weirs and down around Ellacoya State Park, with the occasional jaunt out to Wolfeboro and Alton bay. This year I plan to explore up in Moultonboro, but I digress.

The reason why I am posting this is to tell you my story of being a nearly Captain Bonehead today. As I was coming back from a great lunch at the Weirs, I decided to pass around by the north/north eastern side Governor's Island, when I suddenly found myself right in the southern part of the the Witches. Now luckily, I managed to stop, survey the situation and slowly make my back out to the open water... But I cannot stress how important it is to keep alert when boating and always know your surroundings... Luckily I escaped without anything happening to me. Ironically, I had friends up last weekend, and as I was giving them a tour of the lake, I pointed out to them the witches, and how many a capt. boneheads beach themselves on the rocks...

-Bostonian

Welcome Bostonian. Not just Captain boneheads make this mistake.... sometimes solid boaters make the same error. It can happen to anyone. I'm glad you made it out okay.

really?
 

Story sounds, strangely, so very familiar. Can't put my fimnger on it....
OH, wait a minute....

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ead.php?t=6640

They are a lot harder to see with the water at spring height. Now add some chop and those marker get really small.

I suggest a GPS chartplotter, even just a glance can reasure you that you are where you think you are. Of course paper charts work well too.

I THINK I MAY HAVE SEEN YOU TODAY!!!

I was jetskiing past the witches today (maybe between 1 or 1:30?) and I saw a boat going through the witches. I was a little shocked to see that and did a double take as a boat flew through, but then I saw it stop...must've realized the mistake.

WAS THAT YOU I PASSED? Small world...

Yup! It was me... I was cruising through at 25 MPH or so... I could have sworn I was far enough away, and in fact remember thinking to myself, I see the rock outcropping and I thought I was close enough to Governor's while positioning myself towards Lockes Is. and Varney Point. But then I saw all the danger markers come up on me, and stopped the boat immediately. I got damn lucky. For some reason I thought I was further south of the markers... But clearly wasn't when I could see the bottom and the big rocks underneath.

As for the recommendation of a map, I have one it's the Bizer 6th edition... Although I do want to get the newer (I think it is out right?) . Also sa meredith... your story is like mine from today. Goes to show you even if you feel very comfortable on the lake, it is no excuse to let your guard down.

Yep...I did the same thing, in the same place, only going in the other direction. Thought I knew EXACTLY were I was. Entering the Witches from the Locke's side, I think, is more likely than the other side. Does not seem as clearly marked coming past Locke's. However, I believe, there is just no excuse. Operator error, no matter how you slice it.

Witches !
 

Many many years ago as a teenager on my first outing on the lake I put my Penn Yann Swift in at the Marina -Now Marine Hdqrts. - and water skied around Locke and through the Witches leaving a rudder piece off the skies in the area!! Talk about scared when I looked down-WOW ! Made it and then went into the Marina and found out about a Chart of the lake. Never forgot the experience. I still have the ski but at my age have not used them for a couple of years.

Just in time!
 

Bostonian, good thing you saw where you were in time. :eek: I try to give the Witches a WIDE BERTH! They eat outdrives for lunch!

Well there are the witches stories, and the other place I have seen suprise even experienced boaters is middle ground shoal........

I have never ventured passed the markers and into the danger area up there...... but I come out of the Babers Pole and always have troubling spotting it. and generally am almost to the markers before I know it is there.....

More then once I have seen people inside the markers there as well.....

We can all be as experienced as we want to be...... but mistakes happen......and some times the best even make a boo-boo...... but as long as no damage is done you learn from the mistake and move on......

Well except my neighbor, who used to like to damage at least one prop a year.........

Middle ground shoal
 

I don't believe this poses a danger to very many lake boats as it appears to me the rocks are all deeper than 5', but you may want to verify yourself (carefully). I've fished there with trolling motor in the past. It looks scary though, cuz you can see them pretty clearly. The Witches, the Graveyard, near Eagle Is., and near Pistol Island are the real gotchas.

Another place that nearly got me was up near FL72 in Moultonborough Bay. My brother was driving as I was enjoying the view. We were passing through bouy pairs all the way up there with black on the left, red on the right, then all of a sudden I noticed they were opposite colors! I said "stop the boat!" and looked over the side to see a massive boulder just a foot or so below the water off the starboard side. The water was over 20 feet deep all around it!

Watch the chart and know exactly what bouy you're looking at at all times!

I was anchored near Brookhurst on Saturday and it amazed me how many boats went through the huge area in front of there that's marked as a shoal. I know there's some very shallow boulders in there, and I suspect they are probably not hard to avoid, but still...

Graveyard !!
 

Yup Been there and Done that !! Many years ago during a thunder and lighting storm late at night and dark heading for Melvin Village from Orchard cove I missed the i st marker. Wiped out the prop shaft rudder on my 20 Correct Craft. Lucky as the M P was comming from Melvin Village and towed me to Pier 19 After I swam the tow rope to them. WOW are they a great group and even gave me a ride back to the Island. Pier 19 gave people a ride ti their car. Different times. !! Kerk

I have a collection of props and other parts from snorkling around that area. :D

them there witches
 

I try to keep away from them. But want some fun, do go out there when it is dark, say after fireworks in the Weirs. I don't go out too often at night, and only twice have been anywhere near the witches after dark. That area needs a light house attached to it.

I always found it curious that that area in particular (out in the middle of gthe lake), was not marked clearer. In this day and age of limits, red hats for swimmers, no raft zones and all, it's the least they could do to avoid mass casualties.

A little follow up to my witches story :)


So I was out on the lake yesterday (as it was Bunker Hill Day...) and what a PERFECT day to be out on the water. After beginning my day in Winter Harbor, I decided to make my way to the Weirs for some good old fashion motorcycle week fun. This time, on my way over to the Weirs I made it safely around those dastardly Witches... However, this time, I saw someone come all to close to it! All in all, a great day out on the lake, and quite the mob scene up on the Weirs... If you got out yesterday you were lucky! :)

My brother has worked at a local marina for 5 years. Every time I see him he is always telling me about the rental people that ruin props and damage boats in the witches and have to be towed into shore. Many of them claim they were curious about what the big deal was and wanted to go look for themselves. They found out what the big deal was when they had to wait to be rescued and after that they got the repair bill :eek:

The Witches......The Graveyard....I just shutter!

Oh the woes of the witches. Over the last twenty years I have had only one close call there. I still have all the parts on the motor because of a nominal investment in a current chart. Judging from the parts I have seen in the water there , not every boater has made that investment. :eek:

A word of caution, if you are new to the beautiful lake make sure you have a current chart , Bizer is one of the best`

They are definitely a great group unless you have done something against the navigation rules:laugh: