Snowmobiles on water April 4th

[Vision2000]

Take a look at the two fellows who buzzed our dock for almost an hour on Sunday afternoon, most of the time they ran just on the water, sometimes for twenty minutes straight! This is in Robert's Cove. If one of thier engines had died, there would be little I could of done to save these fellows. Isn't this suppose to be illegal now?

[KevinPlante]

This is really no big deal. I've done it before in MUCH worse conditions. Those that are out there know the risks. Nobody expects you to go in after them. And yes, the owners do have to pay fines for the sleds being sunk until they are recovered. My $0.02 is that the government shouldn't be allowed to protect me from myself.

[madrasahs]

"...there would be little I could of done to save these fellows. Isn't this supposed to be illegal now?

I was reading on my dock last April when two [these two?] flew by my elbow at mile-a-minute-speeds.

Do you think making it illegal will stop 'em?

1) Who would be assigned to enforce such a law?
2) Who would be assigned to rescue 'em, anyway?

[Chris Exley]

Originally Posted by KevinPlante

My $0.02 is that the government shouldn't be allowed to protect me from myself.

There is a point to which I agree with your sentiment. However, when it comes time to rescue someone who has gone in, isn't it putting other peoples lives at risk?

[John A. Birdsall]

Originally Posted by KevinPlante

This is really no big deal. I've done it before in MUCH worse conditions. Those that are out there know the risks. Nobody expects you to go in after them. And yes, the owners do have to pay fines for the sleds being sunk until they are recovered. My $0.02 is that the government shouldn't be allowed to protect me from myself.

I think these could be a big deal. A sled goes down, water becomes poluted, but hang on there isn't their some type of grease or lubricant capable of being washed off the undercarriage of a snowmobile and polluting the pristine waters of the lake. For some reason I think the Marine Patrol sees this that the individual should be arrested for pollution for a starter, and for putting rescuers lives at stake. You want to commit suicide, don't do it in the lake.

[GWC...]

Oops…Who thinks this is fun? Yeah, right...


There should be a law that requires all snowmobile registrations to include a “hold harmless” clause that simply states that rescue personnel will not respond in the event of an accident on land, trees, water, or anywhere else. You get yourself into trouble; you get yourself out of trouble; or die trying – your option.

I guess that will happen when pigs fly…

Drownings happen and are on the rise.
***** Another contributor this winter is the number of ice-related deaths where snowmobilers run into open water and drown, Brooks said. There have been five so far, and usually there are one or two, he said.
Brooks said some 'bizarre' weather factors created open water that normally wouldn't exist following cold weather and riders thought that their paths were safe for snowmobiling, he said. *****

Closer to home:
***** One New Hampshire case report sums up what not to do when operating a snowmobile. A 30-year-old man died as he accelerated his snowmobile in an attempt at "skimming," riding the machine over open water. He fell off the snowmobile, hit his head on the ice and fell into the water, dying of a fractured skull. He was not wearing a helmet and had a blood alcohol content of 0.06 milligrams per deciliter, just below the state limit. *****
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IMMERSION INTO COLDWATER