Sleeper's No Rafting Zone
 

Does anyone have the specifics of the "no rafting" no anchoring rules at the entrance to West Alto Marina behind Sleeper's? I was there this weekend and got very conflicting reports of where I could anchor a single boat. There are red buoys which seem obvious to stay outside of yet they do not go all the way to the channel and many boats were inside the imaginary line close to the channel.

Actually,a single boat can anchor pretty much anywhere as long as your not a navagation hazard,and even in "no rafting areas" if your no closer than 25ft.

All you ever wanted to know about rafting is in: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rules/saf-c400.html


The West Alton sandbar is addressed here:

Saf-C 407.03 Prohibited Areas.
...

(2) Small's Cove in Alton, southwest of an imaginary line running southeast-northwest from light 75 on the northwestern end to the northernmost point of land marking the entrance to the first cove, south of Small's Cove on the south;
...

SIKSUKR, I wish you were right but check 3(a) below, I think the new red bouys at West Alton are 150' from shore:

(a) In addition to and in conjunction with the requirements of RSA 270:44, no person, except as otherwise provided herein, shall, in a prohibited location or at a prohibited time:

(1) Form or allow a boat which he or she is operating or in charge of to be a member of a raft consisting of 3 or more boats;

(2) Form or allow the boat which he or she is operating or in charge of to be a member of a raft if any part of such raft is:
a. Less than 150 feet from shore; or
b. Less than 50 feet from any other raft; or
c. Less than 50 feet from any occupied single boat which is stationary upon the waters of the same lake or pond; and

(3) Anchor a single boat and cause it to remain stationary upon the waters of a lake or pond other than momentarily if any part of such boat is:
a. Less than 150 feet from shore; or
b. Less than 50 feet away from any raft; or
c. Less than 25 feet away from any other single boat which is stationary upon the waters of such lake or pond.

BTW notice there is no exception for the land owner, so even people with permission of the land owner can not anchor with 150' of the shore.

Fishing while anchored near shore
 

Does this mean that anchoring and fishing less than 150 feet from the shore is prohibited?

single boat in a no reafting zone
 

So, to clarify what I think the statute is saying is that even a single boat cannot anchor closer than 150 feet from shore in any no rafting zone and they have to be more than 25 feet from any other boat.

Ramjet, yes, the way I read the rule, anchoring for any reason, including fishing, is prohibited within 150' of shore. But remember this rule only applies to the "No Rafting Zones". On the rest of the lake you can anchor as close to shore as you want.

Crownline_guy, I read it the same way you do.

Just to be accurate, it's a rule not a statute. I only bring this up because the No Rafting Zone statute RSA 270:44. Does not have the 150' from shore anchoring rule. http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/...270/270-44.htm

That 50 foot from another boat rule is pretty much ignored. I've been known to take photos of the space around me when I arrive at sandbar in the morning just in case there's any question about who was there first. Never had to show them though.

Inquiring minds want to know
 

So am I to assume that if I get off of my PWC closer than 150' from shore and let it float freely or hold onto it as I walk into the water to cool off, that since I "have not anchored it or caused it to become stationary more than momentarily" that I have conformed to the letter of the Law? If I am pushing it around it is not stationary, and it is not anchored. Will Skip weigh in on this?:rolleye1:

No Rafting rules vary by location !!
 

jrc provides a good reference. But wait, there's more. Not all the rules regarding the No Rafting Zones are the same. For instance the NRZ in Braun Bay allows anchoring 75 feet from shore not 150'.

Dave R, a few years ago Marine Patrol was cracking down on NRZ anchoring violations. No matter who anchored first if you became in violation of the 25' or 50' rule both (or all) "offenders" were in jeopardy. Highly unfair in my opinion.

My anchor lines have colored markers every 10 feet. Easy for me to tell the crew how much line to pay out and pretty easy for me to measure my anchoring distances. It doesn't stop others from anchoring too close to my boat in NRZs, putting me in violation even though I was legal when I dropped anchor(s).

Even worse are those boaters who don't follow the "fine points" of NHs easy to understand boating rules :eek2:. They believe that some of us are Capt. Boneheads anchoring 75 feet from shore in Braun Bay NRZ because they believe it is a 150 foot anchor rule. Or when I zoom closer than 150 feet to rocks and navigational aids (some consider those to be rule violations when they are not - but that's for a different thread).

Hope I've helped add to the confusion :laugh:

P.S. Aquadeziac, if your PWC is not anchored (or stationary) I believe you are not subject to the anchoring rules. GO for it :)

That's why I posted the link to the rules http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rules/saf-c400.html

There are always confusing and conflicting rules in NH.

In Braun Bay the rules say that the NRZ starts 75' from shore. So if you are 76' from shore, you are in a NRZ and the rules say you can't anchor 150' feet from shore, very confusing.

On who anchored first, the rules says:

...no person....shall, in a prohibited location...Anchor a single boat ....Less than 25 feet away from any other single boat...

So the violation is anchoring near another boat, not letting another boat anchor near you.

Unfortunately, if the MP tickets you, you have to take time off to go to court and fight it. And just like traffic and parking tickets, these tend to be prove you are innocent battles, and your word against the MP.

I screwed up on Braun Bay. The NRZ ends 75' from shore, so if your 76' from shore you are outside the zone and can anchor.

jrc, are you in the zone?
 

I think you are in the confusion zone :laugh:

In Braun Bay, there is a whole area that is considered a No Rafting Zone. There is NO 150 foot anchoring distance rule applicable in Braun Bay. In the NRZ you can anchor or build a raft of no more than TWO boats starting 75 feet from the shore (and 300 feet from the Fish and Game markers :confused: ). To help, the rules vary depending on the NRZ.

Why it's as easy to understand as the IRS income tax forms.

That's hard to argue. :D

The written rules are consistent on rafting in most areas.

The Braun Bay situation is confusing and I can't remember the topology well enough to figure it out. It seems like two NRZ overlap.

Another wrinkle is the new Advent Cove NRZ, which allows three boat rafts, as long as they are 100' from each other or shore. Plus they added a sunrise/ sunset time restriction.

How do they actually expect people to know the specific regulations for each NRZ? They're not posted, and most charts only show that it is a NRZ, not the specific rules.

New Advent Cove NRZ ???
 

I'd like more info on the Advent Cove NRZ. Did I miss it written in the rules link you provided? I asked Marine Patrol about it and they did not seem to know what I was talking about.

Allowing a three boat raft in the alleged new No Rafting Zone in Advent Cove is something new to the Lake, if it's true.

Where is Advent Cove anyway (or did I miss some overly obvious or tongue-in-cheek)?

No tongue in cheek
 

It's in the Saf-C 400 link but it's after all the other Winni rafting rules.

Saf-C 407.05 Lake Winnipesaukee Rafting Restrictions.
(a) The following rafting restriction shall apply to that area known as Advent Cove:
(1) The location of a raft shall be more than 100 feet and stand apart from the closest shoreline or another formed raft;
(2) Rafting shall be limited to 3 boats; and
(3) Rafting shall be limited between the hours of sunrise to sunset.

Advent cove is one the east side of Meredith Neck about half-way between Pine and Beaver Islands. Try this link:

http://gws.maps.yahoo.com/MapImage?a...mw=620&imh=500

I've never been there, but by coincidence, late last fall some boater buddies were telling me how they had a great time there. And bang, this year it's a NRZ.

Sounds like you've got the wrong kind of boater buddies.

It was the good boating buddies, not the bad boating buddies :laugh: :laugh:

rafting
 

I am a bit confused. I had thought that the term rafting meant more than one boat tied to each other at an anchorage, Now I am seeing or hearing that no more than 3 can do this in a NRZ. If it is a NRZ then how can three tie up?

The rule is that no more than two can tie up. Or as the way it is writen three or more boats makes a raft. At Advent cove you can tie three together.

Rafting is tying boats together. Our NH "No Rafting Zones" are really restricted rafting areas. The details of the restrictions are the subject of this thread. When you get to one of theses areas, there's usually a bouy that says "No Rafting" but it really means "follow the rafting rules"

No Rafting Zones
 

Is there a listing somewhere in one place of all the NRZs on the lake? Or, do you have to search through the NH rules?

they are in Saf-C 400
 

The standard 2 boat rafting areas are listed below and don't forget Advent cove the new and only 3 boat rafting area. Lake Sunapee and Ossipee have there own places.

Saf-C 407.03 Prohibited Areas.
(a) Rafting as defined in RSA 270:42, V, shall be prohibited in the following areas of Lake Winnipesaukee unless covered by one of the exceptions specified in RSA 270:45:
(1) The Kona Mansion, so-called, in Moultonborough, east of an imaginary line running north and south from the red top mark buoy located on the western tip of Avery's Point on the south to the Kona Farm gas docks on the north;
(2) Small's Cove in Alton, southwest of an imaginary line running southeast-northwest from light 75 on the northwestern end to the northernmost point of land marking the entrance to the first cove, south of Small's Cove on the south;
(3) Wentworth Cove, southwest of Governor's Island Bridge west of an imaginary north-south line, running from light 43 on the north to the black top buoy, located off Wentworth Cove Estates on the south;
(4) Braun Bay, within 300 feet of both fish and game property lines, to be delineated by marine patrol with orange mooring balls;
(5) Braun Bay, at a distance less than 75 feet from shore, to be delineated by marine patrol with orange mooring balls;
(6) The area known as Cedar Cove, specifically identified as the area opposite Plum Island which borders the town of Alton tax map 18, lot numbers 12 through 20 and 55;
(7) The area of Winter Harbor from the southern boundary of the town of Tuftonboro tax map 63, lot number 14 to the southern boundary of tax map 15, lot number 20.
(8) The entire area known as Green’s Basin, in the town of Moultonborough;
(9) Orchard Cove, on the east side of Cow Island, in the town of Tuftonboro;
(10) The entire area known as Buzzell Cove, in the town of Moultonborough;
(11) Brickyard Cove, encompassing a described area that would run south of an imaginary line running about 2,300 feet from the northern tip of Clay Point to the southern tip of Barndoor Island; and
(12) The entire area known as Black Cove, in the town of Meredith, encompassing an area in Meredith tax map S-7, east from the northern most point of Lot 5-1 to the southeastern most point of Lot 1.

Find the NRZ rules
 

Thanks jrc. :) I would not have found the Advent Cove NRZ rules without your direction.

I continued to read Saf-C 400 rules through the Lake Sunapee No rafting rules and stopped after Saf-C 407.04 regarding Ossipee Lake Rafting Restrictions. I assumed that 407.03 covered ALL of the NRZs on Lake Winnipesaukee. I'll bet the MP dispatcher I spoke with did the same thing. He did say that he was reading the rules on-line and told me how I could find links to them.

Saf-C 407.05 Lake Winnipesaukee Rafting Restrictions.
(a) The following rafting restriction shall apply to that area known as Advent Cove:
(1) The location of a raft shall be more than 100 feet and stand apart from the closest shoreline or another formed raft;
(2) Rafting shall be limited to 3 boats; and
(3) Rafting shall be limited between the hours of sunrise to sunset.

Source. #8807, eff 1-23-07

Sigh, now why didn't I look there in the first place :laugh: