Quote:
Originally Posted by Evenstar
I’ve never said that high-speed boats were the only boats I am concerned about – I’m very alert to all powerboats. But the faster boats have been the ones that have come the closest to running me over, so I see them as being the greatest threat. You can think whatever you like, but safety is MY only concern here.
If speed is not an issue here, and so few boats are actually going faster than 45mph on Winni, why are so many of you against this bill? If it won’t affect your boating speeds at all, what’s the problem?
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My boat does not go 45. I can tell you that I have found very well camouflaged kayaks on occasion with a lot less time to react than I care for. When we purchased our Kayaks the number one requirement was that they were as visible as possible. My kids and wife would be in them and their safety depends on all boats being able to see them. They are yellow and Orange. We chose two bright colors in hopes that between the two they would be even more visible. The greatest safety device for kayakers and boaters alike is visibility and observation. When I see a kayak with a flag or brightly colored paddles or some other obvious attempt to be seen, I nod my head and give them much more than the 150 feet they require.
As far as your question...it could be turned around to ask if so few boats are speeding then why the need to ask the government to get involved in our lives for something that is only a problem for some. The fast boats are not asking to restrict where the slow boats can go so why do we need to restrict where they can go. If they can't maintain the 150 foot rule from shore and other vessels than we already have laws for that. I would much rather have the MP stopping captain bone head going 15mph at full wake and 75 feet from your kayak with 15 people on board. We see them all day on the island. We call them "Wakus Maximus". We have a law that they are violating 50 foot from my dock and 25 feet from my kids swimming, but the MP is behind the island trying to find the one fast boat in an hour. He is far from shore and making hardly any wake and paying keen attention.
I remember the book, what color is your parachute. In this case, what color is your kayak?