Winnie Newbie

[TimmyG]

Thanks to all who have provided guidance to me over the past couple of months. Being new to the area and buying a brand new boat I was a bit aprehensive about my first ventures out on the lake. I officially launched on April 26th. My first time out I went from Fays and shut her down just east of Welch Island and just stood there looking around. I must say that I was rather intimidated.
I have been out several times since and have been methodically exploring choosing to go in a counter clockwise direction (don't ask me why) from Smiths Cove. I have gone around Rattlesnake and the various islands close by just exploring. I am taking it slow as I keep in mind all the outdrive vs. rocks stories I have read about. This weekend I am going to a lot of exploring.
Anyway. I hope to see you guy's out there. I am having a BALL!

Thanks Again-

TG

[hazelnut]

Thanks to all who have provided guidance to me over the past couple of months. Being new to the area and buying a brand new boat I was a bit aprehensive about my first ventures out on the lake. I officially launched on April 26th. My first time out I went from Fays and shut her down just east of Welch Island and just stood there looking around. I must say that I was rather intimidated.
I have been out several times since and have been methodically exploring choosing to go in a counter clockwise direction (don't ask me why) from Smiths Cove. I have gone around Rattlesnake and the various islands close by just exploring. I am taking it slow as I keep in mind all the outdrive vs. rocks stories I have read about. This weekend I am going to a lot of exploring.
Anyway. I hope to see you guy's out there. I am having a BALL!

Thanks Again-



TG


I have been waiting and waiting for your reports. Good to hear you are having luck and great to hear you are taking it slow. It sounds like you are enjoying things and that is great! It sounds like you are going to have a great summer exploring the lake. I've been boating on the lake for around 25 years and it hasn't gotten old. I still discover new things each year. I try to change my "habits" each year and pick new hot spots to visit. Last year I made Alton Bay my new favorite spot to visit. It was great, as I hadn't spent much time there in the previous 24 years. :emb:

TIP: Don't ever be afraid to ask for help with anything. As a seasoned veteran I can honestly tell you that I am always happy to help when asked. I believe that to be the case with most if not all boaters on the lake.

[Resident 2B]

TimmyG,

It sounds like you are doing all the right things. Make sure you have a good chart. I prefer BIZER because I feel it is easiest to use and that it is the most up-to-date. If you have not purchased one yet, think about buying it directly from the Bizer web site or this web site, so that you get the most recent edition, which I believe is the 7th edition. Some places are still selling the 5th edition.

You will notice a huge change in the amount of boat traffic this weekend. Many places that were nice and calm during your time on the water so far will be loaded with boat chop. This includes all the water between Weirs and Eagle Island, most of Meredith Bay and the north and west sides of Bear Island outside the no wake zones. You will also see many more PWC on the lake, some may be there for the first time. Bottom line is the lake is going to be a completely different place this weekend and on most weekends between now and Labor Day.

Be aware that some people choose to kayak well off shore even in the Broads and often alone! They are often very hard to see. You really have to keep a very sharp look-out.

Welcome to the lake and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. We have a new boat this year as well and I picked it up yesterday. It completely exceeds my high expectations, with a quiet lake. I cannot wait to see how she rides with the rougher water this weekend.

Enjoy and be safe!

R2B

[TimmyG]

Sorry for the delayed reply. I wanted to post my first adventures, but got busy at work. The day after launch I went on a 2 week road trip down the east coast to Atlanta the over to Dallas. It was the longest 2 weeks of my life.

I have a bizer chart, although I don't know what addition as it doesn't say. I bought it at Fays Ship Store and Dave there said they just came in. I bough two actually, one for the boat and the other I keep in my laptop bag and bring it with me.

I am getting a NAV unit installed this week so that I can plot courses etc. I think between that and the chart I will be fine. I am going to start doing some diving on the lake next week as well.

Thanks to everyone.

TG

[SIKSUKR]

Welcome to your new addiction TG.This lake never gets old.There is so much to see and exploring to find it is half the fun.Your doing it the right way by taking small bites.Just trust your charts and soon you will become familiar with the main routes without using the charts.Bon voyage!

[SteveA]

Welcome to your new addiction TG.This lake never gets old.There is so much to see and exploring to find it is half the fun.Your doing it the right way by taking small bites.Just trust your charts and soon you will become familiar with the main routes without using the charts.Bon voyage!

TimmyG

SIKSUKR couldn't be more on target! :cheers:

We have been “coming to the lake” for 30 plus years, we have been living full time here for 22 years. We recently had a friend comment. “You live here year round, and probably don’t see the beauty anymore”.

Wrong! We see it every day. We, and now you, are living in a very special place. Take the time to soak it in. Explore!

Learn the lake, and learn the history of the lake.

This is a good place to start. Lots of links to all sorts of history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Winnipesaukee

But, the best place to learn the history of the lake is right here on winnipesaukee.com :) Check out the History "Threads"

[Rattlesnake Guy]

I envy that "new lake feeling" you are experiencing. Make sure to take the time to enjoy just how spectacular the beauty of the lake surroundings truly are. We are so so lucky to have this huge body of water in such a fabulous location.

As been mentioned, the increased traffic that is coming can be a bit intimidating. You will find that the more narrow areas that are on the way between towns and bays can be the most busy. So for example the boats traveling between Alton and Saunders Bay will go the shortest route behind the islands. A general rule of thumb is that the traffic is higher around the perimeter of the lake and especially in areas where we have little option but to all go in the same place. (Like the north end of Governor's island on the way to the weirs.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you get overwhelmed with traffic, you might try moving more to the middle where the traffic is much lower. When we watch boats on busy Saturday afternoons between the broads side of Rattlesnake and the opposite shore, 90 percent of the boats are on the far shore taking the shortest route.

Have fun.

[CaptDan]

hope you enjoy the new boat. I too started out on Lake Winni at Fays just a few years ago, and still haven't seen all of it.

I drive up 2 1/2 hours every weekend rain or shine just to be at the lake.

have fun!

[jonfinn]

I'm a "get up to the lake/trailer boater whenever my schedule permits" kinda guy. Relatively new to boating (4th season).

I had been up to Winni many times before actually exploring it by boat. So one summer, I decided to rent a boat for a few days from Thurston's marina (Paugus Bay). My plan was to pick up the boat and drive it over to the cabin (on the far side of Moultonboro bay).

"It's only a lake. How hard can this be?" (famous last words hehehe)

I got to that area between Weirs and Meredith Bay and finally thought, "Oh, God. What did I get myself in to?" Three hours later, I found the cabin. I went slow, and checked the markers often. I was lucky more than skilled.

To Thurston Marina's credit, they spent a good deal of time with me, and gave me a map of the lake before heading out.

I've become much more skilled since then because I've taken some courses, read a lot material, asked a lot of questions. One of my favorite things about the Winnipesaukee area is that people are willing to take the time to help each other. The people I meet are big part of the richness for me. People are cool here in Boston too, but it's different.

If I'm standing at the docks at Meredith and there's a big ole cruiser coming in, I usually offer to catch a line for them.

With boating, I keep learning that it's important to ask for help when you need to, and to offer help when it's warranted.

I think if every car in Boston needed dock lines in order to park, much of our traffic woes would be solved!