Light #29

[BroadHopper]

With this light between Mark and Bear Island there are two black and two red spar buoys. I have traveled this route for 50 years. Today all of a sudden a woman coming from Mark Island in a Monterrey boat with full storm canvas came right out in front of me! I was assuming she didn't see me through the Plexiglas so I came to a complete stop from 30 mph.

She zips down a curtain and was screaming at me that this is a channel so this is a no wake zone? I politely told her that it is not designated as a no wake zone and only when one is 150' or less to another boat. She insist this is a no wake zone and that from now on to proceed at headway speed. She than proceed to tell another boater coming through the channel. I took off.

Humor me, has the law change regarding this passage?

[Bizer]

There has been no change in the law. No-wake speed is not required in a channel.

Most people don't realize, however, that a narrow channel does not create an exception to the 150 foot rule. If, for example, one is going west through this channel and a boat approaches from the other direction, each must slow down to no-wake speed before they get within 150 feet of each other.

[Water Camper]

Broadhopper,

Thanks for the heads up, I typically use this route once or twice a weekend, usually on plane. I'll keep an eye out for the Monterrey boat.

Thanks,
Bill

[BroadHopper]

I'm assuming on a beautiful day, someone cruising around with full canvas down leaves something to mind. The meteor shower perhaps??????

[ursa minor]

With this light between Mark and Bear Island there are two black and two red spar buoys. I have traveled this route for 50 years. Today all of a sudden a woman coming from Mark Island in a Monterrey boat with full storm canvas came right out in front of me! I was assuming she didn't see me through the Plexiglas so I came to a complete stop from 30 mph.

She zips down a curtain and was screaming at me that this is a channel so this is a no wake zone? I politely told her that it is not designated as a no wake zone and only when one is 150' or less to another boat. She insist this is a no wake zone and that from now on to proceed at headway speed. She than proceed to tell another boater coming through the channel. I took off.

Humor me, has the law change regarding this passage?

I'm going to take a wild guess that someone has recently bought a place on Mark Island and doesn't like boat traffic... I go through this same route from time to time when we go to Meredith, thanks for the warning!

[marcucci]

Are you talking about the markers off the northern tip of Mark? Between it and Bear? Where there is a huge rock right off Mark visible right at the surface of the water even at full lake?

I ask only because (A) I don't have my charts in front of me, (B) I don't even recall there being a lighted buoy there, (C) I don't recall that being a channel, the markers are red and black tops I believe, and (D) I have been passing by there for years as it's my preferred path around Bear island and I'm amazing that I may be wrong on point B and C above.

On a side note, I always go through there on plane when safe to do so and have never had anyone yell at me about it.

[codeman671]

She lives right there on the corner of Mark. Having lived in the area for 10 years I know it well as well as the person you speak of.

It is not a no wake although it is too narrow for 2 boats to pass without going to headway speed, although nobody ever does.

As far as the person, I could tell you stories about the family. They used to love to sneak over and use out hot tub without permission and leave beer cans floating. The kids would throw parties when the parents weren't around also. I heard some grumblings about a bwi at one point as well.

I could go on....:rolleye2:

[skprbob]

I'll try to make a couple of points:

1. BroadHopper is right that the light #29 channel is not a No-Wake area. If your boat is the only one there, you can go through at whatever speed you want. If there is more than one boat, the 150 ft rule applies, since there's no way to get more than 150 ft away in the channel.

2. There used to be two red-tops and two black-tops marking the channel. At the moment, there is only one black-top. That's the one next to the light. The other one was towards the Weirs end of the channel and has been gone for years. Evidently the NHMP chose not replace it, and the charts no longer show it.

3. Part of the problem goes back to the issue of speed vs wake size. A planing hull up on plane produces a relatively small wake, as it also does at dead slow. That same hull at half speed produces a relatively large wake, and an unfortunately large number of boaters seem to be oblivious to that fact. They will slow down only to the point where their wake is the largest possible. This also applies to the common type of 30+ foot cabin cruisers which seem too be designed to produce maximum possible wakes at any speed above dead slow.

4. One can appeal here for courtesy. The docks in the vicinity of the channel are close to the channel and are vulnerable to high wakes close by. I would encourage users of the channel to be particularly aware of their wakes in that area and maybe do a courtesy slowdown so your wake won't do any damage. Although admittedly hard to enforce, the driver of any boat can be legally responsible for damage caused by its wake.