...kayaker; close call...

[fatlazyless]

Ok, so I got very lucky today and found a set of Pentax 12 x 50 binoculars over at Saint Vincent de Paul's www.stvdplaconia.com/ in Laconia for the bargain price of 15.50, and these are like the best long range binocs I've ever used.

Having nothing better to do, I head down Route 11 to the Gilford-Alton border line, just across from Riley Rd, where the Town of Alton has a public waterfront deck set about 10' above the water. I wanted to test out the new binocs to see if if could see the spot on the granite ledge outcropping where the infamous smash-up of June, 2008, took place, and sure enough it was pretty clear from maybe one mile away, across the water.

Next stop: Lincoln Park in Gilford and a visual test to look at the Castle in the Clouds' red roof mansion about 1/3 way up the Ossipee Mtns, and ditto these binocs work good.

Next stop: the white lifeguard tower seat at Gilford Town Beach looking out Saunder's Bay to Welch's Island (oopsie-correction, make that the south end of Timber island). Lo and behold, what do I see, but way out at what would be the entrance to Saunder's, there is one lone guy in a blue kayak, paddling by himself, through the windy whitecaps. Then, all of a sudden, coming from the south and turning left into Saunders, there's a big, maybe 30' orange-red-yellow graphics on white performance boat w/ inboard engines looking like it's in the same zone as the kayaker. It came close, but didn't hit, and I could tell by the body language of the kayaker that he was at least a little shocked. It all happened pretty fast what with the boat going about 45-mph as it headed into Silver Sands.

Did the boat actually see the kayaker? Cannot say? Did not appear to change course, but as I was viewing from maybe 500-600 yards away, cannot really say if the boater was ever aware of the kayaker. No harm done as close does not count in motorboating....it just makes it all look scary!

[camp guy]

FLL raises a very good point - at this time of year boating can take on some dangers, both other boaters not expecting to see another boater, and debris blown into the Lake following storms and wave action.

CAUTION, EXTREME CAUTION, is the word for the season.

[joey2665]

Originally Posted by camp guy

FLL raises a very good point - at this time of year boating can take on some dangers, both other boaters not expecting to see another boater, and debris blown into the Lake following storms and wave action.

CAUTION, EXTREME CAUTION, is the word for the season.

Dont forget the lake level also!

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by joey2665

Dont forget the lake level also!

I wonder how the lake level is doing now- we have received approx 6" of rain over the past 2 weeks or so.

[TomC]

Originally Posted by VitaBene

I wonder how the lake level is doing now- we have received approx 6" of rain over the past 2 weeks or so.

i frequently check the Black Cat weather center which shows not quite 3 3/4" for the entire month of October so far...

http://www.blackcatnh.com/weather/

[topwater]

If the State of NH made it mandatory for all kayakers to have a 5ft pole with a flag of some kind on it, I wonder if the boater would have been able to see them much better.

[chipj29]

If there really were whitecaps out there, it was probably very difficult for the boater to see the kayak, especially a blue kayak.

With that said, from the distance of 500-600 yards that FLL states, it would be nearly impossible to tell the distance between the kayak and the boat.

[fatlazyless]

I was totally surprised to see a kayaker way the heck out, crossing from the north outer edge to the southern outer edge of Saunders Bay, which is a very large bay. I just figured, well, climb up into the eight foot high lifeguard lookout seat and see what I can see with the binoc. What do I see a-way out in the white caps but a blue kayaker, and the water temp is like 55 or so. Next thing, like 20 seconds later a big powerboat zooms in from the south and takes a wide left heading into Silver Sands.

For what it's worth, the State of Florida requires kayaks to carry a noise device like a whistle or better yet, one of those hand-held $15 compressed air horns. To get the attention of a big motorboat, out in the wind & waves coming straight towards an unbeknownst blue kayak, the air horn is probably best. It is powerfull loud!

No legislation will eliminate stupidity!

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Ok, so I got very lucky today and found a set of Pentax 12 x 50 binoculars over at Saint Vincent de Paul's in Laconia for the bargain price of 15.50, and these are like the best long range binocs I've ever used.

Next stop: the white lifeguard tower seat at Gilford Town Beach looking out Saunder's Bay to Welch's Island. Lo and behold, what do I see, but way out at what would be the entrance to Saunder's, there is one lone guy in a blue kayak, paddling by himself, through the windy whitecaps. Then, all of a sudden, coming from the south and turning left into Saunders, there's a big, maybe 30' orange-red-yellow graphics on white performance boat w/ inboard engines looking like it's in the same zone as the kayaker. It came close, but didn't hit, and I could tell by the body language of the kayaker that he was at least a little shocked. It all happened pretty fast what with the boat going about 45-mph as it headed into Silver Sands.

Did the boat actually see the kayaker? Cannot say? Did not appear to change course, but as I was viewing from maybe 500-600 yards away, cannot really say if the boater was ever aware of the kayaker. No harm done as close does not count in motorboating....it just makes it all look scary!

Oh, FLL!!! I remember this *SCARY* story from a few years ago. I believe it was told from a first person perspective (kayaker). Luckily for us, stuff like this no longer happens on Winni!

I have to assume to achieve such a level of accuracy, that you picked up a pair of these?

[NoRegrets]

FFL - I do like the suggestion of having a blaster air car horn in the kayak. Never thought of it. Thanks!

[VitaBene]

Originally Posted by TomC

i frequently check the Black Cat weather center which shows not quite 3 3/4" for the entire month of October so far...

http://www.blackcatnh.com/weather/

We are on Holland Hill in Mboro. I dumped my rain gauge Monday from the storms that had passed though over the past couple of weeks with almost 4" and we just picked up 2" this week. I am sure that there are localized differences.

[classic22]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Ok, so I got very lucky today and found a set of Pentax 12 x 50 binoculars over at Saint Vincent de Paul's in Laconia for the bargain price of 15.50, and these are like the best long range binocs I've ever used.

Having nothing better to do, I head down Route 11 to the Gilford-Alton border line, just across from Riley Rd, where the Town of Alton has a public waterfront deck set about 10' above the water. I wanted to test out the new binocs to see if if could see the spot on the granite ledge outcropping where the infamous smash-up of June, 2008, took place, and sure enough it was pretty clear from maybe one mile away, across the water.

Next stop: Lincoln Park in Gilford and a visual test to look at the Castle in the Clouds' red roof mansion about 1/3 way up the Ossipee Mtns, and ditto these binocs work good.

Next stop: the white lifeguard tower seat at Gilford Town Beach looking out Saunder's Bay to Welch's Island (oopsie-correction, make that the south end of Timber island). Lo and behold, what do I see, but way out at what would be the entrance to Saunder's, there is one lone guy in a blue kayak, paddling by himself, through the windy whitecaps. Then, all of a sudden, coming from the south and turning left into Saunders, there's a big, maybe 30' orange-red-yellow graphics on white performance boat w/ inboard engines looking like it's in the same zone as the kayaker. It came close, but didn't hit, and I could tell by the body language of the kayaker that he was at least a little shocked. It all happened pretty fast what with the boat going about 45-mph as it headed into Silver Sands.

Did the boat actually see the kayaker? Cannot say? Did not appear to change course, but as I was viewing from maybe 500-600 yards away, cannot really say if the boater was ever aware of the kayaker. No harm done as close does not count in motorboating....it just makes it all look scary!

If this did in fact happen....
As many of us already know, viewing boats from afar and at an angle, causes an optical illusion epecially at a distance.What might first appear as a close call, is nothing even remotely close. Especially when viewed thru 15 dollar glasses!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Ok, so I got very lucky today and found a set of Pentax 12 x 50 binoculars over at Saint Vincent de Paul's in Laconia for the bargain price of 15.50, and these are like the best long range binocs I've ever used.

Having nothing better to do, I head down Route 11 to the Gilford-Alton border line, just across from Riley Rd, where the Town of Alton has a public waterfront deck set about 10' above the water. I wanted to test out the new binocs to see if if could see the spot on the granite ledge outcropping where the infamous smash-up of June, 2008, took place, and sure enough it was pretty clear from maybe one mile away, across the water.

Next stop: Lincoln Park in Gilford and a visual test to look at the Castle in the Clouds' red roof mansion about 1/3 way up the Ossipee Mtns, and ditto these binocs work good.

Next stop: the white lifeguard tower seat at Gilford Town Beach looking out Saunder's Bay to Welch's Island (oopsie-correction, make that the south end of Timber island). Lo and behold, what do I see, but way out at what would be the entrance to Saunder's, there is one lone guy in a blue kayak, paddling by himself, through the windy whitecaps. Then, all of a sudden, coming from the south and turning left into Saunders, there's a big, maybe 30' orange-red-yellow graphics on white performance boat w/ inboard engines looking like it's in the same zone as the kayaker. It came close, but didn't hit, and I could tell by the body language of the kayaker that he was at least a little shocked. It all happened pretty fast what with the boat going about 45-mph as it headed into Silver Sands.

Did the boat actually see the kayaker? Cannot say? Did not appear to change course, but as I was viewing from maybe 500-600 yards away, cannot really say if the boater was ever aware of the kayaker. No harm done as close does not count in motorboating....it just makes it all look scary!

Six football fields away and you could tell the body language of a kayaker, bobbing up and down in rough water (white caps)........

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by classic22

If this did in fact happen....What might first appear as a close call, is nothing even remotely close. Especially when viewed thru 15 dollar glasses!

With all due respect Councillor, the Pentax 12x50's are something like a two hundred dollar pair of binoculars www.stvdplaconia.com/, and in excellent condition, plus I was seated about eight feet up in a lifeguard seat, plus my vision is highly accurate over long distances, has a built-in speed detector sensor, and is totally unbiased and unopinionated.... !

The most telling aspect was the body language of the kayaker just after the big boat roared past at a very close space. It was like raising the arms in a "touchdown" sign, then stop and look back at the boat, and then shake it off, and start paddling again.

Conditions: windy whitecaps & sunshine. Time: about 3-pm or so. The 'Rose M,' a 25' all wood classic, reproduction inboard boat, with two onboard, was in the area at the time close to Gilford Town Beach.

[Grant]

As a kayaker, I've found that you really have to mind the conditions -- especially as they change. Case in point: one September morning, I was out having a paddle on a glassy early-morning lake. As is the case on many September & October mornings, the cool air drew a heavy fog from the warmer water. As the air moved, it relocated this dense blanket of white right where I was paddling, and as I heard a boat motor in the distance, I realized that a moving boat would never see me in time to avoid collision. So I took a good guess as to which direction was the closest to fog-free and paddled like a maniac.

As a diver, I also appreciate the idea of the kayak pole/flag. Although many purists would be opposed to it, it seems a common-sense solution in an era when there are just too damn many boats (and no shortage of bad judgement) on the Lake.

Be careful out there.