Rental boat mishap
 

anyone hear anything about a rental boat from Goodhue trying to go through Little Barn door and big barn door at 40mph on Saturday afternoon??

ouch... that couldn't possibly go well.

As long as no one got hurt, that's something I'd like to witness from one of the islands. My charts all say "not navigable".

Look at the bright side...

They were obeying the proposed daytime speed limit of 45 mph. :D :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Say, isn't the proposed speed limit supposed to make the Lake safer and reduce boating accidents? :rolleye2:

My friend heard it
 

A friend of mine told me he saw a boat go over rocks on Saturday while he was fishing from a rowboat in that area.

hmmm
 

anything in the police or MP loggs? Anything in the Citizen?

Did your friend mention if the boat came to a halt? With high water and up on a plane the operator might have lucked out.

He said the boat was clearly damaged but they managed to keep it moving, he figured as long as they didn't stop they wouldn't take on water.

Navigable?
 

I know the chart says it is not navigable to go between them, but can one actually get through there? I was coming home from the Alton 4th of July fireworks last year and was headed straight between the two. I realized I was off course in plenty of time, but it made me wonder if it was truly "not navigable".

wow!
 

My dear GWC,

Your awesome non-sequitur boggles the mind! Someone who attempts to go through that space in a power boat AT ANY SPEED merely betrays their ignorance. It has nothing whatever to do with a speed limit and everything to do with either not having a chart or not noticing the large, red, NOT NAVIGABLE notice. Whether you support or oppose the speed limit, it would be good to make sure your arguments are relevant to the issue.

Back in my days as a MP officer, I pulled a boat (one of many) out of the Witches. It had struck a rock and almost completely removed the out-drive. The dialogue went something like this:

Operator: Wow! What did we hit?
Me: A large rock shoal called the Witches. Get your chart and I'll show you.
Op: My what?
Me: Your chart, sir. Your map of the lake.
Op: Oh!?
Me: Never mind, sir. I'll get mine.
(I unfold the chart and point out the area)
Me: Now, see this area marked in blue shading with these buoys around it?
Op: Oh! That's what all those colored sticks are?

Yes - ignorance abounds whether you're slow or fast.

Clueless
 

Sounds like the boat that asked me "Which way to Melvin Village" from the Camp Island vicinity. They sounded slightly 'under the weather'. They didn't really give me time to answer, so all I could do was point in the general direction and shake my head. They were already on the wrong side of all the buoys. I can't imagine how they would navigate their way through the islands and all those 'sticks' to Melvin Village. Maybe they ended up at Barndoor?? :(

Shooting the gap..between the islands.
 

The answer to the question of will a boat make it through the Big Barndoor and Little Barndoor gap, is no. Don't try it. Going in a row boat with someone at the bow, yes you can navigate through. The depth goes from ten feet deep to three feet in about a twenty five foot distance, With lots of granite boulders just under the surface only visible when you are on top of them. I have a dock within shouting distance of the gap and we have seen many boats hit the rocks and many resulting broken noses and other injuries, not to mention boat damages. So don't bother trying to shoot the gap, go around Little Barndoor, it is safer.

Rules? What rules?
 

And not just on Winni - over the weekend I had the misfortune to be visiting family at Big Island Pond in the southern part of the state, they have a seasonal spot in one of the campgrounds, which this year, opened up a mooring field, and now allows you to trailer in and out with boats...its a money making scheme on the part of the owners. Anyway - I spoke with several campers who had boats on BIP and who had NO CLUE what the black and red "sticks" that are out on the lake meant or who puts them there - only that they generally "steered around them" because they figured they must be marking rocks. YIKES! :eek: "Steered around them?!" It's stunning to me how many boaters out there have no idea what boating is all about!! Makes you wonder if they understand what a YEILD Sign means (sorry thats me harkening back to a previous thread)!! HA HA! That and the number of dopes who I witnessed zipping in and out of the "marina" at the campground without life jackets on jetskis and PWC's!

A dumb one
 

Ok, I'm not a boater nor have I been on the lake YET, but for when I do could you please tell me what the red and blue "stickes" indlcate?

not a dumb one
 

cortevans - Don't worry, there's no such thing as a dumb question if it's in the sincere quest for knowledge! In that spirit, here's the answer and if you become a boater, become a safe, courteous one.

There are actually four different "sticks", or "spar buoys" in the NH buoy system - white w/black top, white w/red top, all-black and all-red.

The simplest ones are the all-black and all-red. They indicate a channel, always come in black/red pairs and you always go between the pair, preferably slowly.

The other two are a bit more complicated, since they require that you know your general direction of travel. The black-top tells you to pass north or east of the buoy (black is a "cold" color and north and east are the "cold" directions). The red-top tells you to pass south or west of the buoy (red, south, and west are "warm"). For example, if you are approaching a red-top on a north-south course, you would pass the buoy on the west side. This sounds simple, but in reality can be confusing in certain areas of the lake. You should always carry a chart and go carefully in unfamiliar areas.

Hope this helps - happy and safe boating!

Big Island Pond?
 

Wildwoodfam....Is that BIP as in the general Derry/ Atkinson area? Wow!
Blast from the past.
In the summer of 1991/1992 I learned how to operate a boat, and navigate a lake, on BIP. What a blast...no work, boating and Jet Skiing all day, every day. Where does the time go??!!
As an aside...I remember back then, that lake was just starting to experience a milfoil problem, and in 96/97 is was "over run" with the stuff. Coves just disappered, that were passable years back. Sad.

Your friend ... B.E.N.
 

skprbob has given you the proper answer and one way to remember it is that your friend BEN knows the markers. BEN meaning for a Black tip spar go East or North. While this generally works there are places where it can be confusing to follow the rule and a chart is really your best friend.


ps - as for the blue markers .... maybe they're cold. ;) :coolsm:

"The Sticks"
 

You know, those "sticks" that someone randomly placed all over the lake can be a real pain sometimes. Someone should take the time to remove them.

Thanks for using the crayons and paper to draw pictures for those unable to comprehend the inference.

This boating incident belies the talking points of the proponents and underscores those of the opponents of the proposed speed limit.


As you stated, "...ignorance abounds..." and your effort to explain the obvious is appreciated.

I agree
 

or maybe have MArine patrol replace with small bouys or floaters or wider/taller sticks so you can always see them, I knwo it has been in place for years but time to upgrade, will make all boater experiences safer and a lot lest hectic. they do not have to be lit or blinking jsut enough to be noticed easier

Yes BIP in Derry/Hampstead area.
 

The lake has seen a real return to its glory - milfoil situation seems to be well under control, at least in the parts of the lake I see when visiting family and boating. The lakes a beauty - a real gem in southern NH! The issue now seems to be boaters lack of understanding of boating, and no skills, versus trying to get through milfoil growth.;)