What Happened to the Barber Pole? [Archive]

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superdawgfan

08-04-2009, 07:33 AM

It's been there all summer and I noticed yesterday it's gone. Or is it really possible that the lake level has gone up so much that it's still there, but not visible because it's under water?
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LIforrelaxin

08-04-2009, 09:48 AM

I went through the Barber Pole on Sat. and it was there and visiable, if you knew what you where looking for. It is leaning over considerably..... and the paint has all faded.... I have to assume this was something a local resident was keeping up.... and for what ever reason has not been able to the last couple of years......

Any one know, how the Barber Pole is maintained???

hazelnut

08-04-2009, 10:13 AM

Well this is what I saw from my dock:

A big huge flat bottomed metal hull Marine Patrol boat pulled up. Then he tied a rope to the Barber Pole and dragged it towards the shore. Then he took the Barber Pole and put it in his boat and drove away. My educated guess is the pole is getting a rehab job as it was looking pretty tired these days.

OR

They were removing it permanently? I only say this because SEVERAL and I mean SEVERAL boats every weekend slow down (confusion I assume) and pass cautiously most of the time on the wrong side of the marker buoy over there. The pole seems to indicate to some people to pass between it and the marker! :eek: Not a good idea but nobody has hit a rock yet this year. I assume the water level has been just high enough to avoid tragedy.

Recent observations has shown me a few things.
#1 When people are confused they slow down and come off plane but they don't come all the way down to headway instead plowing bow up stern down WAY down drafting the maximum amount thus INCREASING the chances of hitting a rock. :eek:
#2 When one person goes on the wrong side of the buoy you can almost always count on the 3 or 4 boats behind them making the same mistake (the never assume the other captain knows where he is going rule applies here.)
#3 When people figure out they made a mistake they actually backtrack through the hazard thus exposing themselves to more chances to hit said hazard.

Having a house in this channel can be entertaining at times. I was thinking of getting a bullhorn so I could yell out: "STOP - YOU'RE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BUOY!" I usually have plenty of gas in the Whaler in case I need to rescue/tow but it hasn't happened yet.

BroadHopper

08-04-2009, 10:20 AM

I sure hope they are maintaining it. It is a land mark that I always point out to my guests for years. Has anyone call the MP as to the status of the pole? :confused:

ILoveWinnipesaukee

08-04-2009, 10:21 AM

Well this is what I saw from my dock:

...

Having a house in this channel can be entertaining at times. I was thinking of getting a bullhorn so I could yell out: "STOP - YOU'RE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BUOY!" I usually have plenty of gas in the Whaler in case I need to rescue/tow but it hasn't happened yet.

Have you ever thought of getting a webcam?? I would loved to sit and watch the boneheads that you talk about.:laugh:

LIforrelaxin

08-04-2009, 11:46 AM

I sure hope they are maintaining it. It is a land mark that I always point out to my guests for years........

Your not the only one that included the Barber's pole on a sight seeing tour..... given Hazelnuts Post I will dispatch a letter to the MP, and post what I get back.....

LIforrelaxin

08-04-2009, 11:53 AM

Island Girl

08-04-2009, 12:58 PM

In 2001, the Marine Patrol and few others built a new pole and nicely painted it. I was there for the installation on August 1, 2001. I would bet that it was taken in for refurbishing.

For pictures of that event..http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/search.php?searchid=3698

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopost/data/507/medium/9DSCN0053-1024.jpg

fpartri497

08-04-2009, 01:26 PM

for the life of me I cant remember what i read about the barbers pole. What Is It there for. what does It signify? Please refresh my memory

\ Thank you

frpartri497

wifi

08-05-2009, 02:28 AM

I heard Becky borrowed it for the weekend ?

hazelnut

08-07-2009, 08:26 AM

for the life of me I cant remember what i read about the barbers pole. What Is It there for. what does It signify? Please refresh my memory

\ Thank you

frpartri497

Something along the lines of this:

Many moons ago when the lake was used for floating logs down to Laconia? Gilford? for milling the logs would take the trip through this narrows between Cow and Tuftonboro Neck. There were elaborate cables and pulleys to wiggle the logs through the narrows. One of the cables on the mainland got stripped of its bark in a Barber Pole fashion (think spiral). Anyway the area was nicknamed for that tree which has long since passed away. This is the story I was told. If anyone knows more than that feel free to correct me. ;)

SIKSUKR

08-07-2009, 08:39 AM

Something along the lines of this:

One of the cables on the mainland got stripped of its bark in a Barber Pole fashion (think spiral). If anyone knows more than that feel free to correct me. ;)

Do cables have bark that can be stripped?:laugh:I'm pretty sure you meant that the cable stripped bark from one of the trees right? :D
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hazelnut

08-09-2009, 05:23 PM

Do cables have bark that can be stripped?:laugh:I'm pretty sure you meant that the cable stripped bark from one of the trees right? :D
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Let's see it was 9:26am when I posted that? Hmmmm I should've been awake and alert enough to have seen that blooper! :laugh: I was distracted by the view from my porch... Someone was going on the wrong side of the buoy again! :laugh:

Newbiesaukee

08-10-2009, 10:21 AM

hazelnut

08-10-2009, 07:05 PM

Beautiful day on the lake this morning. No bonehead moves, I even got the right side of the marker. Hazelnut didn't wave, but you can't have everything;) Oh, did go all the way to Wolfeboro to get gas at Winni Divers. A Rinker just filled up and it was all good until....WinniDivers ran out of gas.

Dang it if I knew it were you I would have done jumping jacks on the dock for ya! :laugh: Actually since last Saturday the count is way down on people passing to the wrong side of that marker. I swear it is cyclical. Like some Saturdays we go "O-for" and then others, like two saturdays ago we saw a stream of 5 in a row! :eek: That was a case of the blind leading the blind though with a total of 7 for the day, that I actually saw. Still waiting on word of the "Pole" and if it will be replaced.

Mee-n-Mac

08-12-2009, 04:46 PM

Dang it if I knew it were you I would have done jumping jacks on the dock for ya! :laugh: Actually since last Saturday the count is way down on people passing to the wrong side of that marker. I swear it is cyclical. Like some Saturdays we go "O-for" and then others, like two saturdays ago we saw a stream of 5 in a row! :eek: That was a case of the blind leading the blind though with a total of 7 for the day, that I actually saw. Still waiting on word of the "Pole" and if it will be replaced.

We went by last Sun (late AM) and I watched the boat in front of me pass on the wrong side. I wondered at that time if you were counting. Anyway I passed properly but I'm not sure about the guy behind me. I was busy watching the guy towing a tube (going the opposite direction) split the distance between me and a boat he just passed. :eek: Had to be 40' ... naaahh 50' away from either of us ! How far off the shore would you estimate the flasher to be ?

hazelnut

08-12-2009, 07:02 PM

We went by last Sun (late AM) and I watched the boat in front of me pass on the wrong side. I wondered at that time if you were counting. Anyway I passed properly but I'm not sure about the guy behind me. I was busy watching the guy towing a tube (going the opposite direction) split the distance between me and a boat he just passed. :eek: Had to be 40' ... naaahh 50' away from either of us ! How far off the shore would you estimate the flasher to be ?

The Flasher can't be more than 600-800 feet off the shoreline of Squirrel Island... Plenty of room for TWO boats to pass safely in opposite direction but no way for three. We watch people tube and ski in this area and just laugh. Seriously why would you want to? It'd be equal to jogging on I-93. I just don't get it. There are so many bays and coves and even the Broads to tube in why would you put your kids in harms way like that? :confused: