Quote:
Originally Posted by elchase
I'm very confused about the contradictions around this forum. In some threads, people complain about the omnipresence of the MP. In others, they complain about their lack of visibility. In some threads, people complain that new laws are not causing them to change their ways or are actually causing them to boat more daringly. In other threads, the same people are complaining about the overbearing enforcement that is forcing them to slow down. Seems it's true that you can not please everyone and that no two people see the same thing the same way. All I know is that I have been able to get out in my sail boat much more often this year...even on weekends. And the fishing has been so much more enjoyable for my son and me, even into the late morning. And I've actually taken my wife and parents out to breakfast and dinner in the power boat a few times this year, even cutting across the Broads. All things that we could not do or enjoy in past years, because (for me at least) boating is so much slower, quieter, and more civilized this year. Perhaps that is the result of the MP "baiting" boaters, the high price of gas, or the bad economy. But certainly the new laws have also been a part, no matter what some people are saying here. By and large, people tend to obey the law, even if they grumble about having to do so, and that seems to be what we have been seeing this year. It's just my opinion, but there seems to be a disgruntled underbelly that will always try to sabotage anything they disagree with. You'll see the same poster in one thread saying the slowing down of boating is hurting the shoreline or economy, then in the next thread saying it is not having any effect. Meanwhile, those of us who have no need to speed about are enjoying this lack of effect while it lasts.
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The vast majority of posts complaining about a lack of presence or enforcement, including my own, had to do with the Captain B's of the world. I don't think anyone complained that people weren't being stopped willy nilly for no reason at all, nor did anyone hope the MP's would intentionally entrap boaters to see if they could force them to violate the law. So while your points make for great stories, they don't seem to have any bearing on the facts.
The reason you're seemingly enjoying yourself this summer has far more to do with the nasty weather and the economy than anything else you perceive. I read reports of slow activity on lakes around the country, with very few exceptions, for those very reasons. Lots of people out of work now, and the last thing on their minds is boating.
Lake Champlain is practically abandoned this year, except for the semi-usual activity in the bay. We have no speed limits at all, and quite a bit more space to roam free than on Winni. Just hasn't been a problem.
Nobody's complained about the law really, and nobody's complained about being stopped if they were speeding, or doing something else wrong. If you can find an instance on these boards this year where people do not have legitimate gripes, particularly the recent threads you point to, please feel free to point them out.
There's always a disgruntled underbelly of people that will perceive most anything to be true about things they don't agree with. In general, most people do obey the law. In general, the vast majority of people that appear to be disgruntled with their encounters with the MP have done nothing wrong.