Safe Boaters of New Hampshire
“To promote safety through education and effective legislation”
http://www.SBONH.ORGNo Wake Zone at Lake Winnipesaukee’s Barber Pole rejected
Practicality of the restriction called not reasonable or sensible
For Immediate Release:
Safe Boaters of New Hampshire is applauding the decision by John Barthelmes, Commissioner of Safety in rejecting the latest attempt at restriction of New Hampshire’s public waterways by imposing an unnecessary speed restriction on thousands of boaters traveling through Lake Winnipesaukee’s Barber Pole located near Cow Island.
In his decision Commissioner Barthelmes noted that a No Wake Zone will contribute to a bottleneck of vessels within the channel of the Barber Pole and possibly contribute to boaters selecting alternate routes that will take longer to traverse and for smaller craft, in more open-water conditions, more difficult to navigate. Bathelmes also wrote in his decision that a No Wake Zone in this main travel area will affect more people than the number of persons seeking the limitation of speed.
Rejection of the No Wake Zone was also supported by the NH Marine Patrol who provided statistical data collected over a period of years which continues to show that a majority of the few violations in the area are categorized as violation of the Safe Passage Laws and the most recent data shows a decline in these types of violations.
Lt. Tim Dunleavy of the Marine Patrol also noted that creating a No Wake Zone would contribute to shoreline erosion, damaged waterfowl nests and noise pollution adjacent to the proposed No Wake Zone’s boundaries. Commissioner Barthelmes ruled the practicality of a No Wake Zone in Barbers Pole is not reasonable or sensible in his denial of the petition.
Safe Boaters of New Hampshire supports the NH Marine Patrol and its findings of statistical fact and the decision of Commissioner Barthelmes in denying the No Wake Zone at the Barber Pole.
Given that this is the
fifth time that a petition for a No Wake Zone at Barbers Pole has been denied, Safe Boaters of New Hampshire is calling on the supporters of the restriction to drop the issue and not call for yet another hearing in the future at additional taxpayer expense.