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Originally Posted by jeffk
Dear Mee-n-Mac
Great post to get people thinking about the possible components of a solution.
I think that the 150 ft rule probably gets lost on the noise of a boating course. It's a bit unique (I think) to NH and with all the other information in the course it's importance is diluted. However, most posts seem to suggest it is a significant part of the unsafe boating problem. If operators would keep to headway speeds when closer than 150 ft, many of these problems would go away. I like the rule posting idea but I think it should be limited to a few major rules. When I see something posted, if I can't ready the major points from about 20 feet away I don't usually bother (think road signs). Some catchy slogan would be useful.
I think that without enforcement no progress will be made. A majority of people will push rules if they think they can get away with it, especially if they see others getting away with it. Most of the time there are no serious repercussions to bad boating behavior, just ticked off strangers. I think it takes quite a bit of personal discipline to keep doing the right thing when so many others ignore the rules and nothing happens. The lack of enforcement also cheapens the importance of the rule. Oh well, if no one is enforcing it, it must not be very important.
I really had a chuckle over the counter-clockwise rule.  If we can't get people to slow down when they are simply near someone do you think there is much hope of getting them all going in counter-clockwise patterns?  The enforcement for this would be like herding cats.
I think we need to teach it (with emphasis on a few major rules), post it (constant reminder of the important rules), and enforce it (yes, we really mean it, these rules are important). |
Always happy to bring some laughs to the forum
Like I said I tossed that idea out "raw". I have oft wondered if putting some buoys down the middle of the bays most affected with "keep right" signs wouldn't work as well or better. But as Misty Blue points out above I didn't want a rule that wasn't needed ... hmmm ... when it wasn't needed. Keeping a free zone down the middle of a bay allows it to be used like a "zipper lane", unlike my buoy approach. I do think that if traffic flows better then most cats, err people, will follow it. People generally prefer to move, even if slowly, but constantly rather than sit in stop-n-go traffic. Maybe the same urge would keep most of the herd following the path. Most people do understand the "keep right rule" in a channel so I have some (meager) hope. Moreover I hoped that just kicking around some ideas as how to organize traffic flow might stimulate better concepts than I've proposed.
An aside for Misty Blue - I agree with you and my biggest foible with the CC concept is what happens in those areas where islands are in close proximity to the shore. Perhaps the right value for X mitigates most problem areas but then again perhaps it's not a tenable concept (? except in certain places ?) I do find that my training, that a port-port passing is
strongly preffered, has me following this rule almost instinctively when I get into traffic areas.