The Marine Patrol Is Ruining Boating

[EricP]

Originally Posted by dog paw

I think its like this on most lakes. Seem a shame to see the "control factor" get out of hand on such a nice large lake as Winnipesaukee. As a newbie on Winnipesaukee riding PWC's the wife and I found out real fast about the 150ft thing and "boating lisense" I say, down south we dont need no stinkin lisense In our case the MP officer asked us where we were staying, told us to go to Trexler's like right now and take the test and gave us a bag of info on NH laws and sent us on. I have never been treated that nice on our home lake when pulled over for not breaking any laws.

On our home lake 150 ft would lock it down. To close is when the spray from the other boat hits you or there kid bumps off you on one of those insepid toobs. The MP's spend the days at marinas busting PWC'c and go fast's for moving foward at any speed in a no wake area. A 30 ft day cruiser dragging a tube in circles 20 ft from anything and in 10 ft of water is OK.

I should post pics.... You guys have a awesome lake to play on! We covered every inch of it on our skis and have a new respect for "real" rough water, rock navigation, and our GPS LOL! Hope to get up again soon.

glad to hear you guys made it up, are you still here?

[Belmont Resident]

You are correct on all of the above. That is why I refrain from visiting this site very often.
Almost anything can be said no matter how hurtful it is, all the while the poster can hide behind a screen name preventing anyone from knowing who they are.
Cowardly? U be the judge.
You know many of those posting such harsh responses are in fact themselves hypocrites. I’ll bet many of them do exactly what they oppose on the lake each time they get behind the wheel of a car bike or snowmobile.
The worst part is if you monitor the postings you eventually get dragged into it and start responding to the banter in the same way. At one time I did.

[dog paw]

Originally Posted by EricP

glad to hear you guys made it up, are you still here?

Nah, back to the grind. Rained every single day but one. Did not even have any bats to slay in the house this year...We did ride the skis from Lees Hill across the broads to the other side of Rattlesnake to see the wife's faimilys old place but that was about it. Rode around and hit Weirs, Pops,a few of the wifes old haunts and the new Waldos that everybody in the eats section seems to hate. For some reason I thought you were working down south, you home now?

[ApS]

Originally Posted by VtSteve

"...You can always tell when someone has no argument, no answers, and no position based on facts at all...I might also add that I haven't read a post yet where someone has actually been stopped for breaking the law, and has come online to complain about it..."

One poster came here to say he wasn't cited for speeding by the MPs. (In Tuftonboro Bay).

The only fine I can recall of a lakefront resident (a neighbor) was more than 40 years ago. (No spotter). I never discovered the final result about a second neighbor who, after receiving a ticket for no spotter, proceeded to waterski again behind his Jet-Ski—at night! (His Jet-Ski was impounded by the MPs that night).

There's something wrong with perception?

Originally Posted by EricP

glad to hear you guys made it up, are you still here?

FYI & BTW...Among the other rules around Winnipesaukee, we have a rule here about "chat".

Originally Posted by dog paw

"...On our home lake 150 ft would lock it down..."

On my "other" lake, I couldn't miss the odor of a big gasoline spill about 300' away: The owner of the dock made many passes to splash the gasoline off with his Jet-Ski!

Originally Posted by dog paw

"...You guys have a awesome lake to play on! We covered every inch of it on our skis and have a new respect for "real" rough water, rock navigation, and our GPS LOL! Hope to get up again soon..."

It is an awesome lake, and thanks go to the MPs who try to keep it that way.

BTW: The most thorough way to "cover every inch of it" is by kayak: Idle speed is a better way to visit this lake, not as a "zip-boat". (IMHO).

Originally Posted by VtSteve

"...nor did anyone hope the MP's would intentionally entrap boaters to see if they could force them to violate the law..."

1) Placing themselves in harm's way is one way to determine if a multi-offender knows a law exists (or even suspects that a law exists). It also gives the MP an "up-close" chance to see if a suspected offender is deranged, drugged, or drunk.

2) In a crowded situation, how better to halt a "called-in" offender's depredations on other boaters?

(A Complainant is a "10-18" in MP lingo).

Originally Posted by VtSteve

"...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...Lake Champlain is practically abandoned..."

You weren't on Lake Winnipesaukee this past weekend! I had to quit boating on Sunday due to being beat up by all the wakes, "cross-wakes", and "rogue-wakes"!

On Saturday in the middle of the Broads off Rattlesnake, I watched MP-11 traveling at "flank speed" (about 35-MPH ). He was overtaken within ~200'—and passed—by a 40-footer going nearly double that speed! Did the lights and siren go on?

Nope.

Originally Posted by VtSteve

"...In general, the vast majority of people that appear to be disgruntled with their encounters with the MP have done nothing wrong..."

Not "HOW do you know", but "how could you POSSIBLY know"?

Originally Posted by elchase

"...people complain about the omnipresence of the MP. In others, they complain about their lack of visibility..."

We haven't read—as yet—of a single person here being cited (or fined) by the MPs: moreover, we've seen where one denied receiving a ticket, and we've seen where a telephone call to the MP office will get the ticket cancelled!

Originally Posted by hazelnut

"...I wish it were as simple as you stated winnipesaukeenh "to all of the people complaining about being pulled over, stop breaking the law. " but it isn't.

Like many lawyers will tell you, some things are just "too-complicated" to understand, right?

[VtSteve]

I'll try to be Brief APS

I think what you're describing on the lake is not a lack of enforcement resources, but a simple lack of enforcement?

I've seen on the boards one complaint in particular, whereby someone did complain about being stopped for speeding when they said they most definitely were not. I have no way of knowing if those are the facts or not. If you think "crowding" is an effective method used by the MP's, what the heck are they doing not giving tickets or at least stopping the boats you say Are violating some law or another?

On average, one weekend day is busy if the weather is good. That's about all we're allotted this summer. Like yourself, I get beat up when all of the cruisers and what nots are out trying to enjoy that one day. I've only been out twice I believe during the week this "summer", but I can attest that my view of the broad lake here all the way to NY state is pretty boatless.

About the only reasons I stay on shore are due to wind or weather.

[Wolfeboro_Baja]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

On Saturday in the middle of the Broads off Rattlesnake, I watched MP-11 traveling at "flank speed" (about 35-MPH ). He was overtaken within ~200'—and passed—by a 40-footer going nearly double that speed! Did the lights and siren go on?

Nope.

I can only guess that either the MP was already responding to a more important call and therefore didn't have time to pull over the offending 40-footer OR your estimates of everyone's speed in this scenario are way off.

[VtSteve]

Originally Posted by Wolfeboro_Baja

I can only guess that either the MP was already responding to a more important call and therefore didn't have time to pull over the offending 40-footer OR your estimates of everyone's speed in this scenario are way off.

I wondered that. A 40 footer going almost 70 and the MP boat was doing? He has a radio No? Not enough range?

It would seem the MP's are way too busy to do anything this summer, but they must be doing something on the lake.

The Director's last interview made it sound like the economy and weather had all but silenced boating, except for these precious few days we've had lately with good weather.

[winnipesaukeenh]

Originally Posted by Acres per Second

(A Complainant is a "10-18" in MP lingo).

10-18 is location. 10-88 is complainant.

http://www.nhscan.com/NH10codes/tabid/172/Default.aspx

[Skip]

Originally Posted by winnipesaukeenh

...10-18 is location. 10-88 is complainant...

10-5 on that! (from one 10-37 to another)

[MDcaptive]

Hey all, i came across this forum because i'm considering moving to the area... and frankly this thread and the results from the research it has prompted me to do scares me a bit. I grew up across the street from a large lake in Maine (though pretty small in comparison to Winnipesaukee) and didn't have any of the hassle that seems to go along with new Hampshire boating- cops on water, headway only < 150 ft, 45 mph, 3 hour class + proctored exam to operate a boat over 25 hp?? I thought I was reading wrong when i saw the latter.

This is scary to me for 2 reasons, one that I agree that having cops on water, especially with a reputation for hassling people who are not actually being unsafe would drastically detract from the enjoyment of an afternoon on the lake. In all my years on the water in Maine I was only on a boat once that was stopped, and that was simply a game warden checking for fishing license and the catch on board. I am quite sure there is no marine patrol or equivalent on fresh water.

second, presumably there is a reason why all this is implemented- do you folks have big problems with truly reckless boaters? The most "trouble" that I ever had was an incident or two of jetskiiers using our wake as a playground, and even so they were not at all too close to be dangerous, just a little annoying.

A question I have for you all is are the experiences shared here unique to Winnipesaukee because of its size and people it attracts, or is Marine patrol on all of the area lakes? I don't mean to come off as some fool who wants to tear around the lake- quite the opposite, as i probably would not even have a boat capable of 45 mph and haven't had a moving violation on pavement in my life- but that doesn't mean I like being over-restricted + nervous about what happens if a bulb burns out or I get a little "too close" to an island. One of the main draws of NH for me is it is supposed to be one of the most "free" states in the east.

Also, any links about the area or other words of wisdom for a single 27 year old prospective new resident would also be appreciated. As someone who would be working from home moving to a place with no nearby existing friends, I'm hoping to find an area with ample opportunity to get involved in the community -Scouting, youth sports, church groups, gun club, etc. to keep from turning into a hermit. Feel free to PM me on subjects not appropriate for this thread. Thanks!

[Kamper]

Originally Posted by MDcaptive

Hey all, i came across this forum because i'm considering moving to the area... and frankly (you guys are making me nervous!) .... Thanks!

Good luck with your search. It's really not the "Dukes of Hazard" situation that these threads make it out to be. Lake Winnipissaukee is like a small community with more than it's fair share of primadonas. Some of them just happen to be water cops. lol.

Haul your boat in for a few visits, or rent one, so you can check out properties from the water. After a couple cruises you'll figure out if it's something to be concernned with. Like any environmental hazard "CB's" and "MPs" are something you learn to live with and mostly avoid.

Good luck!

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by MDcaptive

Hey all, i came across this forum because i'm considering moving to the area... and frankly this thread and the results from the research it has prompted me to do scares me a bit. {big snip-a-roo}

Don't worry. For the most part I doubt you'd find any hassle from the NHMP. There are some rules, such a those pertaining to "rafting", and the MP's enforcement thereof, that rile people up. For the most part their presence is in the background, unnoticed. The lake is quiet in the weekdays and even on the weekends before July and after August. During the summer there are places and times where the lake gets busy and it seems more like driving in Boston than it does in ... say ... Waterville. Even then for the most part I find the Capt B's to be more rude and inconsiderate than outright reckless. Still nothing compared to boating out of Beverly harbor or out of Newburyport or ....