Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post

EricP · 04-21-2008, 07:12 PM

There was a very good turnout, quite impressive IMHO.
Those opposed outnumbered those for. I base this on the volume of people sporting the NO HB847 stickers hended out. There were even quite a few opposed who didn't have one on. I myself m opposed to HB847.

I will give the chairman and the commitee kudos for changing up the testimony so basically we heard from alternating points of view throughout the morning. This was my first ever hearing so I have no clue if that's normal, but the chairman made it a point to let us know that;s his preferred style.

The reigning theme from supporters is simple: fear, nothing else but fear mongering, period. That's all I heard from them over and over. One woman even went as far as to spell it out. "Formula Boats". She stated she personally taught 50 people how to water ski and wouldn't take a new skier out anymore. Let's be real here, Monday through Thursday, Friday morning, Saturday morning and Sunday mornings are all good times to teach some to ski, there are just times when there are a lot of boats on the lake and maybe not a good time to teach someone. This has nothing to do with speed, it's simple math. This is not your father's or grandfather's lake. What ws the US population when your father and grandfathers roamed he lake and what is the US population now? Huge differences. So with more people living then it stands to reason more boats are owned and therefore more boats show up to enjoy the lake. This transaltes to congestion, not speed as a problem. That's why she's afraid to teach people to ski, to many boats at certain times so you adjust your pattern. Simple solution.

I heard many more compelling reasons to not impose a speed limit than for. The 150' rule is probably our best safety measure by far, and this is the first year that boating certification is mandatory so I think we should let it bake, it's been demonstrated time and again that NH is a safe state to boat in with our current laws and there's no need to change that.

I was very happy to hear several people point out that while Lake George has a speed limit it does not have the 150' safe passaage rule. That laone means we're not comparing apples to apples.

Another guy spoke to the fear of kayaking across the broads. I liked his analogy. He stated he has a 38 foot boat but you won't see him driving it to China. It's not safe. Same goes for kayaking in the broads on a weekend when there's a lot of traffic, it's just not safe. Now if someone, like Evenstar, has good skills and wants to kayak in the broads, then you have to understand the risks and compensate for them. Like someone else here suggested, put a flag on the bow or stern so it's easier to see you. It's perfectly legal to walk down Meredith Neck Road at midnight on a cloudy weekend night in the Summer, but if I were to do so I's understand that it could be dangerous and wear something light in color, maybe even reflective or carry a flashlight so I am visible. It's not required but I ain't no dummy! Safety goes both ways. When you engage in something you know could be risky you make sure you account for it. It's so crazy to scream "I want a law" rather than to accept some personal responsibility for our endeavors.

I heard a couple proponents repeatedly use the term excessive speed, but not speeding. I think this says a lot to the opposition. It's not speeding, but excessive speed they keep talking about. Excessive speed can be defined as 10 MPH when within 150' of anything else. That's speeding, and I bet that happens a zillion times more than boats traveling over 45 MPH. I have had close calls on my PWCs at slow speeds and none with boats at high speeds. All were 150' infractions. I am always watching everything around me, not because of fear, but because I just don't want to get hurt.

I heard 2 people speak to the 600 person survey. I would want to know more about the sampling. How many of those 600 boat on Winni and how many boat on really small lakes? How many don't boat at all? Exactly what was aksed and how was the question asked? For example" "Excuse me sir, would you be in favor of a speed limit on NH lakes knowing that people are dying ev ery day in high speed accidents on our waters?" or "Do you think we need speed limits on NH lakes?". I personally dismiss this so called survey. I don't believe it to be a fair representation of Winni boaters, which is what this bill is about.

I can't offer an opinion as to how I think it went. I know they listened to all testimonials, asked reasonable questions, and took notes and so in that respect it was a good hearing. Noone got upset, there was no yelling or fighting. I'm glad I went and showed my opposition to the bill and am thankful to all those who were opposed and offered lots of reasons why we don't need the bill passed.

04-21-2008, 07:12 PM	#24
EricP Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 329 Thanks: 28 Thanked 11 Times in 7 Posts	I was there There was a very good turnout, quite impressive IMHO. Those opposed outnumbered those for. I base this on the volume of people sporting the NO HB847 stickers hended out. There were even quite a few opposed who didn't have one on. I myself m opposed to HB847. I will give the chairman and the commitee kudos for changing up the testimony so basically we heard from alternating points of view throughout the morning. This was my first ever hearing so I have no clue if that's normal, but the chairman made it a point to let us know that;s his preferred style. The reigning theme from supporters is simple: fear, nothing else but fear mongering, period. That's all I heard from them over and over. One woman even went as far as to spell it out. "Formula Boats". She stated she personally taught 50 people how to water ski and wouldn't take a new skier out anymore. Let's be real here, Monday through Thursday, Friday morning, Saturday morning and Sunday mornings are all good times to teach some to ski, there are just times when there are a lot of boats on the lake and maybe not a good time to teach someone. This has nothing to do with speed, it's simple math. This is not your father's or grandfather's lake. What ws the US population when your father and grandfathers roamed he lake and what is the US population now? Huge differences. So with more people living then it stands to reason more boats are owned and therefore more boats show up to enjoy the lake. This transaltes to congestion, not speed as a problem. That's why she's afraid to teach people to ski, to many boats at certain times so you adjust your pattern. Simple solution. I heard many more compelling reasons to not impose a speed limit than for. The 150' rule is probably our best safety measure by far, and this is the first year that boating certification is mandatory so I think we should let it bake, it's been demonstrated time and again that NH is a safe state to boat in with our current laws and there's no need to change that. I was very happy to hear several people point out that while Lake George has a speed limit it does not have the 150' safe passaage rule. That laone means we're not comparing apples to apples. Another guy spoke to the fear of kayaking across the broads. I liked his analogy. He stated he has a 38 foot boat but you won't see him driving it to China. It's not safe. Same goes for kayaking in the broads on a weekend when there's a lot of traffic, it's just not safe. Now if someone, like Evenstar, has good skills and wants to kayak in the broads, then you have to understand the risks and compensate for them. Like someone else here suggested, put a flag on the bow or stern so it's easier to see you. It's perfectly legal to walk down Meredith Neck Road at midnight on a cloudy weekend night in the Summer, but if I were to do so I's understand that it could be dangerous and wear something light in color, maybe even reflective or carry a flashlight so I am visible. It's not required but I ain't no dummy! Safety goes both ways. When you engage in something you know could be risky you make sure you account for it. It's so crazy to scream "I want a law" rather than to accept some personal responsibility for our endeavors. I heard a couple proponents repeatedly use the term excessive speed, but not speeding. I think this says a lot to the opposition. It's not speeding, but excessive speed they keep talking about. Excessive speed can be defined as 10 MPH when within 150' of anything else. That's speeding, and I bet that happens a zillion times more than boats traveling over 45 MPH. I have had close calls on my PWCs at slow speeds and none with boats at high speeds. All were 150' infractions. I am always watching everything around me, not because of fear, but because I just don't want to get hurt. I heard 2 people speak to the 600 person survey. I would want to know more about the sampling. How many of those 600 boat on Winni and how many boat on really small lakes? How many don't boat at all? Exactly what was aksed and how was the question asked? For example" "Excuse me sir, would you be in favor of a speed limit on NH lakes knowing that people are dying ev ery day in high speed accidents on our waters?" or "Do you think we need speed limits on NH lakes?". I personally dismiss this so called survey. I don't believe it to be a fair representation of Winni boaters, which is what this bill is about. I can't offer an opinion as to how I think it went. I know they listened to all testimonials, asked reasonable questions, and took notes and so in that respect it was a good hearing. Noone got upset, there was no yelling or fighting. I'm glad I went and showed my opposition to the bill and am thankful to all those who were opposed and offered lots of reasons why we don't need the bill passed.