Quote:
Originally Posted by tis
A few years ago I had the pleasure (?) of watching MP stop boats in a no wake zone. I think it totally depends on the opinion of the particular officer what is a wake and what isn't. One insisted that any little tiny wave was making a wake which is technically true. But I was really surprised that he stopped people for that little wave. However, I believe other officers would not consider that to be illegal. So as I said, I think it all depends on the officer. Like so many other laws there is a lot of interpretation.
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The problem here is that a "wake" definition is being used, rather than a proper "no wake" definition. The difference? "Wake" is defined as water ripples. "No wake" is defined as the minimum speed at which a motorized watercraft is able to move and maintain adequate steerage control. That minimum speed is likely to leave a small wake, which the officers are focusing on. If they focused on the no-wake definition, and spent a minute observing the boat operator, they would see that the boat operator is constantly adjusting his steering to keep the boat on course; therefore, the boat operator is observing the "no-wake" rule, even if the boat leaves small ripples.
As for the person on shore yelling at the boats? He really needs to get a life --- and perhaps a brain.