Quote:
Originally Posted by TomC
set up the same scenario - this time with a video camera at the ready...
As far as the waterfront/boater rights, if you replace "in the lake, right in front of my beach" with "on the sidewalk, right in front of my house" - it may give a different perspective on the use of public property for recreation and how it impacts the landowner immediately adjacent to it...
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The analogy of a sidewalk doesn't seem quite right. It is as if you bought a home next to a public park and then objected when people showed up on Saturday to play a game of baseball or have a picnic. When someone buys a house in a nice quiet cove, they should assume that others want to enjoy it too, and will. All told, boaters will be in the cove less than 2% of the year (5 hours a day, 3 days a week, 12 weeks a year). Unfortunately, that may overlap the limited time the home owner chooses to be there too, and they can't pull anchor and move to a different cove.
Perhaps the right attitude for boaters and home owners alike to have is one of sharing. The boater is not alone and should act that way. If they are looking for privacy, they need to go somewhere else. The home owner has already chosen a spot that must occasionally be shared and must accept that.
Some of the conflict comes from the home owners who have managed to get no-rafting laws enacted in their areas. To extend the analogy, this is like having the town ban playing baseball in some parts of the public park because the neighbors complain. This causes other areas of the park to be used more frequently, so other neighbors start complaining until the point that baseball and picnics are no longer allowed in the public park.
The result of no-rafting rules causes some boaters to find other areas, and the choices have become limited. Coves that used to be rarely used are being found and have become popular. One solution is to revoke no-rafting laws and open the entire lake back up to the public. It could start with Kona!