So far July 1st and 2nd have been great days on the water……lots of skiing/tubing going on, a few are moored at Goat Hill, but not very large crowd…..I expect Sun and Monday will be the challenge.
There were no major stops so far. A few individuals forgot that only one skier/tuber at a time on the Three Day Holiday. I did red light four boaters that were “plowing” toward the middle of the lake. I was mostly looking for their reaction from my question, “Hi, are you aware that you are plowing in your boat?” “What?” “If you notice, your bow of the boat is way too high and you need to stand up to see.” None of the four individuals were aware what plowing was. I explained and what they should do to correct this. I really felt some progress was gained here. The more I thought about it, there is really no reason to plow except for the initial start from a stationary position. Another exception could be when pulling a small child on a tube or board one usually goes slow and plows….so move to the middle of the lake. For the larger inboard or IOs, when the watercraft is moving from 10-15 mph……they are usually plowing. I know this has been a major problem especially on the main body for years…..lots of dock damage from the wave action.
Sunday, July 3rd was not a bad day. Just had a few skiers flying their flag backwards and I saw a couple of suction cup flags. I did see a neat ski flag on an IO. It was posted toward the bow and clamped to a side rail. The flag was standing a little over 3 feet from the deck of the boat. I inquired where the homeowner purchased the item……he said “Bass Pro in Independence.” Might want to check that out if you need a good ski flag.
Now we come to the big day, Monday, July the 4th………..you tell be what you think of the day’s activities:
- PWCs negligent driving………..4
- Someone holding a ski flag……..1
- Boats moored in the main body not behind the cove buoys……….7
- PWC driven by a non-family member or resident……….2
- Speeding out of a cove………2
- Boat moving down the lake with someone’s legs hanging over the bow…….1
- Shooting fireworks off a neighbors’ seawall leaving black marks………1
- Individuals floating more than 75 ft from shoreline or a watercraft……….6
- Watercraft moored in the middle of a cove blocking traffic……….2
- Negligent driving of a watercraft along with rude behavior to water patrol & an Association Director……………….1
- Running past the barriers on the south end of the dam toward the shooters cleaning up the debris from the road……….7 CARS
My highlight quote of the weekend………….” Young man, are you aware you cannot shoot aerial fireworks off your dock?” “Oh, it’s okay, I have a permit.” I said, “Wow, where did you obtain this permit?” His response, “From the fireworks stand where I purchased them.” Learn something every day!
I must say the day did end on a great final note. There were zero problems during the fireworks show, everyone lined up with ease and when the show was over, all cruised away nicely. I believe everyone felt this was of the best displays we have seen on the 4th.
Next Big Day will be LOTAWANA DAYS on Friday July 22nd and Saturday July 23rd. Hope to see lots of great floats on the water Friday evening.
See YA