Meredith Bay Fireworks (By Boat)

[4 for Boating]

I’m very familiar with the lake/markers between my house and Meredith, have a GPS to help me on my way to and from the fireworks show on the 4th but to date, have never actually gone to see them by boat and anchored up. From land it looks to be parking lot with Marine Patrol twisting through the boats keeping them at some distance back.

Questions:
Anyone ever done it?
What’s it like?
Is it madness when the show ends or is it an orderly exit?
Where can you and can’t you anchor?
I’m assuming the 150’ rule is in play even when anchored.

Thanks, just looking for the perspective from “on the water”.

[Dave R]

I’m very familiar with the lake/markers between my house and Meredith, have a GPS to help me on my way to and from the fireworks show on the 4th but to date, have never actually gone to see them by boat and anchored up. From land it looks to be parking lot with Marine Patrol twisting through the boats keeping them at some distance back.

Questions:
Anyone ever done it?
What’s it like?
Is it madness when the show ends or is it an orderly exit?
Where can you and can’t you anchor?
I’m assuming the 150’ rule is in play even when anchored.

Thanks, just looking for the perspective from “on the water”.

Never been to the Meredith show, but unless the wind is up, I seriously doubt anyone anchors. It's pretty deep there and it's easier to simply drift. If everyone is drifting, the boats tend to stay in place, relative to each other.

Regardless of where you view, when leaving, be patient and go slowly until the route clears well ahead of you. Keep a spotlight handy for signaling and assign someone to keep watch astern for Dan Littlefield types. Assign a second lookout to keep a second set of eyes looking dead ahead so you don't become a Dan Littlefield type.

[AC2717]

I as well was looking to go there this year by boat
SO there is no place to anchor due to the dept? I would rather run a double anchor set up to be honest, I do not want to sit there constantly running or drifting and having to get aggravated, what time is the show?

[Phantom]

I agree with Dave R --

The 150' rule is NOT in play when you are at headway speed -- so keep an eye out for someone putting along through the crowd that may not see you.

and would simply add ..... BE PATIENT ..... hang out for 15 minutes or so after the show and the ride back will be much more enjoyable !

[Fishy Cover]

On the plus side, it is an awesome way to see the fine fireworks put on by Meredith.

On the other hand----I have watched the fireworks from my boat 3 times and each was one of the most terrifying events of my life. When you arrive, if it is not windy, you can simply stop and since there is little or no current you will stay still while every other boat fills all of the spaces around you. When the show is over the mass exodus begins and it seems that everybody tries to make the biggest wake possible. My strategy was to go relatively slow (I had a pontoon boat), say 10mph, and let those who had to go faster go by me. It seems that many boaters ignored the 150 ft rule and the wakes and turbulence were truly amazing. My usually steady 24 ft pontoon boat with 5 passengers tossed around like a wood chip and we thought we were going to be rammed many times

If I ever do it again I will not leave until at least an hour after the show stops.

[welchislandman]

I agree its terrifying. We stopped going a few years back because we almost got rammed by a few offshore racers and a 30+ yaucht. Safest thing is to stay way out to be safe id say

[MJM]

It can be scary, but with a little care and caution, it is a terrific experience. I've never done Meredith, but do Alton and/or Wolfeboro every year.

The only stressful part is indeed the leaving. Even if every boat is doing the right thing, the sheer number of boats causes waves and slosh that can be disconcerting. As others have suggested, the best idea is to hold back for a little while before leaving to let the bulk of the crowd go ahead of you. And have a couple of responsible pairs of eyes keeping you aprised of what's happening around you.

The first time you do it, it is very scary. But each time you do it, it gets more and more comfortable.

Enjoy!

[Mink Islander]

It is relatively deep there (50+ feet as I recall), but most boats do drop anchor. Just make sure you have a long enough rope to get a decent angle! Usually it's not windy, but I haven't seen boats just drifting.

Also, pay attention to wind direction. You don't want to be directly downwind of the launch barge or too close to shore. I got a burn mark on my sundeck one year when the wind blew hot cinders my way.

I echo the view to hang back -- 15 mins should do it -- and then get slowly underway. Watching all the stern lights disappearing into the distance becomes part of the show! All the boat wakes can be a bit unsettling, but if you take extra precautions as others have suggested, you should be fine.

[jrc]

Anyone ever done it?
What’s it like?
Yes, the show is great and it's different experience from land. You can sit in comfort and have some food and drink (stay sober). We get there around 7PM and just hang out till the show is over.

Is it madness when the show ends or is it an orderly exit?
Yes, it is madness, wait for the knuckleheads to leave or anchor near the back for a quick exit. It never fails that someone near the front will be weaving in and out trying to be the first one home.

Where can you and can’t you anchor?
You can anchor anywhere you want. The MP will try to keep lanes open so they can move around. And they will stop you from getting to close. I always anchor with a short scope. We usually try to find spots less than 30 feet. If it's too windy to get by with a minimal anchor, then it's probably too windy for them to shoot the fireworks.

I've seen people try to skip anchoring. They get there just as the show starts and try to idle around, it drives me crazy. Now I have to watch them instead of the show.

I've also heard stories about cinders falling on boats. Since the new boat has tons of canvas we stay back out of the landing zone.

I’m assuming the 150’ rule is in play even when anchored.

Only if you are anchoring above headway speed. :D:D:D

I don't remember seeing big rafts, but I guess you could raft. The MP may break up rafts just because of crowd control.

[ishoot308]

I went to Wolfboro last year and it was a great time! I will be doing the same this year. I have two suggestions...

#1. Anchor your boat when you get a spot you like.

#2. When it's all done wait a little bit to let crowd hurry up and rush to get nowhere. Then you can leave safely without "white knuckling it" the whole way.

It really is quite a sight to see all those anchor lights in the bay, like a small city.

Do it, you will really enjoy it!

Dan

[Dave R]

Huh, I'm surprised people anchor. No one seems to at Weirs Beach fireworks.

[4 for Boating]

Thanks for the feedback and personal experiences. Good Stuff!

I guess I will have to give this a bit of thought as the one thing that I would really like to be able to do is relax in the boat and enjoy the show.

Having said that, hopefully the weather improves enough to allow us the opportunity to decide on how to attend.

[Mee-n-Mac]

Huh, I'm surprised people anchor. No one seems to at Weirs Beach fireworks.

The Weirs is a bit more open, spread out. I've followed the opposite rules when we've done the Weirs (vs when we've done Meredith, Wolfeboro, Alton). I arrive late and stay to the back of the pack. I've scooted out first as we invariably have gone to our friends place near Sally's Gut. Otherwise I'd say arrive early, stay off to the side and leave late so as to let the crazies go ahead of you. Now that Alton does their show off a barge I don't even have to take the boat out. We get to watch from the comfort of our own dock, have a beer or three, and do our own little accompanying show as well.

[ghfromaltonbay]

Now that Alton does their show off a barge I don't even have to take the boat out. We get to watch from the comfort of our own dock, have a beer or three, and do our own little accompanying show as well.

I thought that was you, Mac. We enjoyed your show from the Sandy Pt. side. Too bad I'll miss it this year -- we're having a family party that weekend here in NJ for Dad's 80th birthday. Hope Alton & you both have another display for either Old Home Weekend or Labor Day.:)

[Kamper]

Dress warm! Those life jackets are good insulators too.

Have fun!

[MJM]

Just curious, 4 For Boating, if you saw any fireworks by boat.

We did Alton and Wofeboro, and both were very good! The # of boats was WAY down this year, so the stress of the departure was greatly reduced.

Although the weather wasn't outstanding, all in all a good 4th weekend.

[4 for Boating]

Thanks for asking.

Actually, after some debate regarding the chance of more rain, we did venture out over to Meredith Sat night and all went well. (Stayed dry also which was nice)

The Fireworks were very good and I was surprised with how orderly the exit was. I wouldn’t say it was like leaving church on Sunday but I will say it was less chaotic than some weekend afternoons out on the lake.

One comment: I noticed more than a couple of boats leaving the area with only the anchor light on. No Red/Green. I’m guess they forgot to switch back over after pulling anchor but a little scary non-the-less in the dark.

Anyone else make it over to Meredith? Was the boat volume down from past years like MJM noticed in Alton and Wofeboro?

[ishoot308]

We went to Wolfeboro and we estimated the number of boats to be about half of last year... Great display of fireworks however!

Dan

[jrc]

We went to the Meredith fireworks. We got some bad luck on time, so we just arrived at 9:20 and they were over at 9:30. The show was disappointingly short. Since we were so late we didn't even anchor, just floated. So this year I was the guy who annoyed me all the other years.

The crowd was light, but there was a lot of people who can't figure out the boat lights. As 4 for boating says, a few people were running with just anchor lights. I also saw a few with just red/green no anchor lights, must have forgot what to do with that pole light. I also saw a 40' plus Regal on plane with no lights on.

But it was fun.

[no-engine]

I have usually been in Meredith. It's unfortunate that there is little respect for the common "rules of the road" like anchor light on when not in motion, and running lights navigation on when navigating - includes red/green and stern.

This year, I was on boat in Annapolis MD Bay. We did not see anyone in violation. All seemed very respectful of others.

For now, that's all I say; I wish Lake boaters would learn the respect for others and the common "rules", written and unwritten.