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Originally Posted by Woodsy
The first and most important being the 150' rule...
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I disagree with this, and my reason is essentially summed up in your next statement:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodsy
no place else has this rule regarding boat vs. boat spacing on the open water.
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There are 4 primary things here as it relates to this and safety:
1) A rule (150' separation) that is effectively unique to Winnipesaukee
2) Boaters on the lake with no clue at all to proper "rules of the road" and boat operation
3) Boaters on the lake who are familiar with boating, but primarily due to experience on other bodies of water
4) Boaters who are mostly limited to Winnipesaukee but are seasoned and knowledgeable.
Every boater essentially falls into one categorization of 2, 3 or 4. The problem is that you never really know WHICH category they fall into. If someone falls into category 3, I don't care if they come closer than 150' to me, as long as they are overall operating safely and carefully. Someone in category 4 will probably generally try to stay 150' away, but might violate that rule in tight spaces, etc. Someone is category 2 is totally unpredictable.
So, I can't rely on other boaters to maintain a 150' separation on their own, and if someone gets too close I can't tell if they do so out of ignorance of the rule, incompetence, or something else.
There are also lots of people unable to accurately judge 150', so they come too close, or think I am too close, or they veer too far off-course and make their route seem erratic when you are trying to gauge how/where your two vessels will cross.
I don't see the 150' rule as being reliable enough to create any real safety aspect, to me it just seems like another feel-good law with good intentions but bad effect.