Where is everyone?

[onthebay]

Is it me or is there just not many people up here this week? I haven't seen the Weirs this quiet on a 4th of July week since we bought up here over 15 years ago. Over the 4th and this past week pretty much all the motels on this side of the lake still had vacancys. Even this saturday at 8 pm there wasn't a no vacancy sign to be seen.
Last year we could blame it on the weather. This year was it too hot? Too dry? What?
Went to dinner tonight at T Bones at 7:30 pm. No waiting and lots of tables open. Prior to that drove down the Weirs and you could have your choice of parking spaces on the street.
Is the economy that bad where familys are foregoing a trip to the lake?
Has the Weirs finally become the place of last resort?

[karen47]

I own a business up here and we are off by at least 35 to 40 percent this year, my family lives down in Bourne, Mass. and they live right by the bourne bridge and they said that trying to cross the bourne bridge has been a nightmare, and my brother was telling me he saw an item on the news that the capes business this year is up by 30 percent over last year, so I think a lot of people that are from Mass. are choosing to stay close to home.

[sea_n_ski]

I was amazed last night to see such a beautiful sunset and no boats on the lake. It looked more like a weekday. Lets hope it was just the weather scaring people away. The local businesses need help.

[TomC]

lots of traffic. sidewalks, shops, restaurants seemed to be crowded...

On friday afternoon the Wolfeboro docks were full and there were lots of people around..

[Lakepilot]

Wolfeboro is very crowded and I see lots of bags on the street. Lots of folks in the stores.

[AC2717]

I will not be up again until the 41st but staying for the week and bringing 8 people with me, should help a little boost. Choosing to work a couple more weeks on the back side job this year to secure some funds prior to dipping into what I should not be spending

[TomC]

Originally Posted by AC2717

I will not be up again until the 41st...

always looking to spend more time at the lake - how do you get those extra days? pretty sure my boss doesn't expect me in on the 41st!

[Lakesrider]

Funny our weekend neighbor across the street form us in Suissevale just said last night that she hadn't expected the road to be as quiet as it was this week.
Gas prices are not horrific this year either. But people are still very weary of this economy and playing it close to home. Even my wife and I are watching our pennies. Heck I didn't even go get my Prime rid last night at the VK, which is just not normal for me. I hate not supporting the local businesses, but you have to do what you have to do. I wonder if the heat last week and this played a part in everything. You just get so exhausted doing nothing when it is close to a hundred degrees outside.

[WinnDixie]

Originally Posted by TomC

always looking to spend more time at the lake - how do you get those extra days? pretty sure my boss doesn't expect me in on the 41st!

So if you get there on the 41st ,can you stay until the 12th of Never?

Oh these darn keyboards..stuff's just too close sometimes, right AC2717?

[AC2717]

Originally Posted by WinnDixie

So if you get there on the 41st ,can you stay until the 12th of Never?

Oh these darn keyboards..stuff's just too close sometimes, right AC2717?

yup, i was just getting excited that I was going to be there for a very long time LOL

[BroadHopper]

NH Hospitality Association have mention members are seen at least a 40% drop in business so far this year. Worst than last year. I bet it will stay that way for the rest of the season. The Cape area may have better business this year and that is because it is so close to the Boston market.

Bike Week was off this year and the race track was still selling tickets at the last minute. The local economy have seen better days.

[VtSteve]

It's very regional again this year. Champlain has more boats on it this summer than I've ever seen. Very large crowds compared to practically none. But we get lots of Canadiens from time to time, usually in August, not July. Boat sales not too bad, huge compared with last year's practically nothing. Marinas are filled, transient docks and the beach is filled with overnighters. Good overall here, not so great inland.

Marketing works, as does good weather. Combine the two and you have as much success as you can.

[jrc]

I think we have suceeded in convincing everyone that Lake Winnipesuakee is a scary and dangerous place. And no I not talking just about "that" law.

But I had the opportunity to walk down the new Weirs boardwalk today. This is the front door to our lake, this is what the new tourist see first.

Go there some busy weekend day and look out on the lake, it looks crazy. A mess of boats going in every direction, all half on plane, jet skis going between them, and a washing machine of waves and wakes. There are always a few brave souls in small boats, and they looks like they're attempting suicide. Just wake around and listen to the people talk. Any seasoned vistor (me) knows that the Weirs is a just a small part of the lake. But it's what people see first.

I work closer to the cape than the lake, friends ask why I prefer the lake, they have either seen the Weirs or heard how crazy and wreckless it is. I tell them that I kayak in the lake on nice weekend days and they think I'm nuts.

It's time for a Meredith sized wake zone in Weirs bay. I had doubts about Meredith and still get annoyed when the place is empty. But it is time. I think draw a line between Light #1 and the Pier, anyplace south is no wake.

[VtSteve]

I donl;t know how long you've been coming to Winni JRC, but it's been that way as long as I know, and that's a loooooong time. What's changed? Frame of mind, age of mind, different people? Who knows.

My dad was scared of the entire lake all summer long on weekends, and we were there all week, all weekend long. Not a worry, no troubles, no trouble making. We used to drive back by boat from the Weirs every weekend from the fireworks, plus the day before. The horrors.

I think what's changed the most, is that there are many people at the lake that simply shouldn't be there. And my family was like Ozzie and Harriet, so we're not talking like the Ozborne family here. What we need is like a reverse Plymouth Rock happening.

[dpg]

In my opinion more people overall like the ocean/cape over the lakes. With a low-rain summer that's why their way up for visitors. I really do not believe it's the drive. If you live roughly in central Mass the drive really isn't much different to be a large factor.

[gtxrider]

"It's too crowded no body goes there anymore".


41st, is it leap year?

[woodynh]

I was off this week and thought the same that it was dead for a the week of the 4th. I wasn't complaining about it though when on the boat. I was in Braun on Thursday and there was only maybe 15 -20 boats there. I will say there was a lot of traffic up here this weekend. Possibly more then the week of the 4th.

I travel for a living and I can tell you that a lot of New Englanders ask me about the recent law passed and it has made people wonder if Winni is where they should take their vacation with their boat.

So yes the law has had some effect on getting the lake less crowded as was the intention.

On the positive side I know one couple that is renting on Winisquam this year and another Squam that use to come to Winni so they are still in the lakes region. Their thoughts were they had no new law to deal with on the lakes there and they could still be in the same area and do what they usally do on vacation.

My thought is that they will come back to Winni after finding out how small those lakes are to use their boats on.

[Turtle Boy]

Originally Posted by woodynh

I travel for a living and I can tell you that a lot of New Englanders ask me about the recent law passed and it has made people wonder if Winni is where they should take their vacation with their boat.

So yes the law has had some effect on getting the lake less crowded as was the intention.

Tourism is down all over New England...Cape Cod, Maine coast,White Mtns. The big vacation is often one of the first discretionary items that needs to be adjusted in tough economic times.
BTW, other people have been saying they are now psyched to return to the area because of the law. The 2 big hospitality players in the lake's region seemed to agree that it will be pro business.

[BroadHopper]

I have to agree with the bad publicity. The new law is a big subject among boaters on Lake Norman NC. Many have been to Lake Winnipesaukee and enjoyed it. I'm not talking about 'bikers' as one supporter says, I'm talking about big spenders. The ones who owned their businesses, work for NASCAR or work for top Fortune 50 companies. Ditto for the folks up in Breckenridge CO. area. I am a partner in a ski lodge and spend most of my winter months in CO. I even spend a week on Lake Havasu a couple of years ago. Lake Winni was the buzz word with the Havasu folks.

I stop boating on Winni during weekends because of the crowd. I stop going to Braun Bay because I have been told to leave by the MP even though I am not breaking the law. Someone would later park too close to my boat. I even barefoot ski on Winnisquam because of the law. A championship water skier and a championship wakeboarder moved off the lake.

I know a good number of folks that are planning on vacationing at lakes like lake Champlain, Sebago and or Moosehead. I spent Father's Day weekend on Thompson Lake, Maine. Because my daughters, all barefoot skiers, don't feel welcome on Lake Winnipesaukee.

I lived on Lake Winnipesaukee for 45 years and I don't think the lake is like what it used to be. Many long term residence folks feel my pain.

I think it is too late to 'bring back the Lake'.

[jrc]

I don't have independent fact that the cape is up 30% and the lake is down 30% just karen47's post. If that is true, then it's not just the economy, people are picking one place over another. Sure the pool of vacation money is smaller but are we getting our fair share of the pool.

VtSteve, I don't things have changed all that much. I'm just saying we now have a reputation as a dangerous lake. We may need to overcompensate a little to swing the pendulum back. The Weirs is the front door, a little curb appeal might be a good thing.

As I type this, I wonder why I care. My personal boating fun is improved by lower crowds. I can avoid the Weirs. I just hate to see all the businesses suffering.

[Shore Driver]

Was up on the 4th weekend, never seen so many boats at the Winnisquam sandbar on both Sun and Mon. Complete mob scene. Tons of people everywhere in Meredith the day we went.

30-40% off from last year? Sounds a bit drastic. I would think that number would drive businesses straight out of business, fast.

Maybe this is all because NH doesn't know how to market its "brand"??????

[Turtle Boy]

I was in midcoast Maine recently. Moribund! Reid State Park was the quietest I've seen in a long while.

[VtSteve]

Originally Posted by jrc

VtSteve, I don't things have changed all that much. I'm just saying we now have a reputation as a dangerous lake. We may need to overcompensate a little to swing the pendulum back. The Weirs is the front door, a little curb appeal might be a good thing.

As I type this, I wonder why I care. My personal boating fun is improved by lower crowds. I can avoid the Weirs. I just hate to see all the businesses suffering.

Yes, having the lake to yourself can indeed be a lasting memory. In spite of Winni having one of the safest boating records in the nation, some felt it was in their best interest to change that perception. They did. Winni has always been a busy boating lake, even when I was a kid. Midweek quiet, weekends very busy, seemingly chaotic in areas like the Weirs. That dates back to the 60's.

Nobody needs to "overcompensate" on anything, that was what started this perception issue anyway. Like most bodies of water nowadays, Winni has a certain number of boneheads and wise guys that need to be dealt with. Instead, people from around the state were convinced to focus on a rather unimportant issue, and legislators were as uniformed as those whining to them.

So JRC, I don't think it's quite fair to whine about perception, and making a larger NWZ all around the Weirs a feel-good PR move. The MP is as cash-strapped as ever, and I don't think they can adequately enforce the NWZ's that already exist. I'd never change a model whereby you have a robust lake economy, and try to transform it into a peaceful, serene beauty where the local region's economy depends on people spending money when they'd rather just sit on the porch and listen to the crickets and loons.

It's also hard to attract boaters from surrounding states when the media has been given scripts that warn of cowboy, anything goes days on the water, then they read about budget cuts, MP funds raided, registration fees go higher to the gen fund. The they go to find Ames Farm launch has been restricted, people hassled about rafting, no anchoring here or there, none of this and none of that.

If anyone's worried about business, perhaps they would have been better served by addressing boater's concerns in a quieter fashion. There were several threads here devoted to people wildly boating to close to others, Bear Islander afraid for the campers because of boaters being cowboys, blowing through the BI NWZ, etc... They didn't have to make new laws, nor inform the media. Just call the MP and see if they can help stop that madness. Winni is not exactly a trailer-boater-friendly lake. The last thing you want to do is discourage them.

So no JRC, in no way do I think your "curb appeal" thought is in any way one of Winni's current goals. Last year and this year, it was made abundantly clear on many fronts what those in power wanted for curb appeal. Those kind thoughts just don't pay the bills.

[winnisummergal]

This is the first time in my 40 years that I will not visit the lake during the summer. The economic downturn over the past few years has taken such a toll on our finances we will not be vacationing this year. However, I already have my winni vacation fund for next year and will be sure to contribute each month...I know we'll be back next year

[ApS]

Originally Posted by onthebay

"...Is it me or is there just not many people up here this week...?"

Word is getting out that Rosie O'Donnell is here!