Patrolling the Pond, Independence Day Edition (submitted June 30, 2025)
By Mike Miller, Board Member, Vice President, Lake Lotawana Association
The peak of the summer season is upon us. While there’s still a lot of fine weather to come, as a 20-year resident of the lake, I know that Independence Day is the busiest weekend of the year. Oh sure there are a lot of other busy lake weekends, e.g. Lotawana Days, Labor Day, but none rival this weekend. Families and friends will gather to enjoy a long weekend of freedom, traditions, and all of the blessings we enjoy as a nation. And, like family and friends, our nation is far from perfect but, at least as far as I can tell (and I have been to many places in thew world) it doesn’t get much better than this. Oh sure, you could argue on a few points if you get into politics (not doing that here) but frankly you only have to go as far as the fact that we celebrate FREEDOM every year on this day to know. Yes, you could say that this is a celebration of independence. Sure. I can go with that. Many countries have their independence day. But tell me one other place on earth that have the freedoms we have? Close maybe, but not the same. It’s a special privilege to live here, to be an American, and certainly freedom is not free.
I’m sure we all would prefer not to have a repeat of the ‘Independence Day Flood of 2024,’ and would rather enjoy a sundrenched day with temps in the 90s. That would be perfect right? At the time of this writing, July 4th is looking pretty solid with some scattered thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday. Given those predictions, it’s probably a good idea to reinforce a few of the Holiday Weekend Rules that changed THIS YEAR. Here is a brief overview:
- The Independence Day Holiday weekend rules START AT 7:00pm, Thursday, July 3rd.
- Holiday Rules apply to ALL Three-Day weekend and end 12:00 midnight, July 6th.
- PWC use is only between 2pm and 6pm each day of the weekend.
- Water skiing and tubing hours are from sunrise to 10am and from 12-2pm each day.
- No vessel shall pull more than ONE PERSON at a time on each day of the weekend.
- No wake surfing is allowed at any time on the holiday weekend.
- No one can operate a sailboat in an organized event that starts before 8am or after 12pm.
- The Water Patrol can curtail skiing during periods of heavy traffic at their sole discretion. They may also allow skiing in restricted times if traffic is unexpectedly light.
I recommend you post these somewhere in your house for your reference. It’s only Monday and I have already seen one PWC rip down our cove at highway speeds with two very young riders who were clearly lost. They then went the other way at the same speed. This violation would catch you a quick 6-12 points (three violations). One question that does come up is HOW will everyone be notified if the Water Patrol restricts or releases skiing in unrestricted times? Good question. That would likely come to you via text. It’s a good idea to sign up for text messages from the Association. Unless you hear or read otherwise, the New Holiday Rules apply at all times over the weekend.
Ok, enough the rules and regulations. As a family we’ve had so many great times with family and friends over the Independence weekend. Rich family traditions have been formed by many lake families including ours. Our annual, “Shrimp and Sausage Boil,” with a huge pile of shrimp, sausage, corn, potatoes, and onions spread all over the table is a huge hit with everyone. Of course that is followed by the absolutely spectacular fireworks show put on by the Association each year. I know that the Association is still accepting donations for this year. If you haven’t had a chance to donate yet, you can do it conveniently by credit card online at the Lake Association website lakelotawana.net. Look for the RED button that says FIREWORKS DONATION. Easy peasy.
There is nothing quite like our beautiful fireworks display each year! Seeing the hundreds of boats on the water and everyone enjoying the moment is something to be treasured. I have fond memories of the years spent on the water with my family on July 4th. I imagine you do too. You could probably predict that I keep a journal of our time spent here. It’s a great way to look back revisit years past and get a little nostalgic. Here was my entry for July 4th, 2022:
“We got a late start to the fireworks show but all good. We tied up with our friends and found a firm an anchor. Firm anchors are key for fireworks and a bit symbolic as we celebrate the firm freedoms we have in the USA.”
I could probably write that just about every year. And this year may be no different. Enjoy your time and the peak of the summer season making memories with your family and friends.
SAFER SEVEN: Light Speeds….
This week’s SAFER SEVEN will test our knowledge of the Speed limits and Lighting on the Water. Go ahead, see how much you know.
Answer True of False for the following Questions.
- The daytime speed limit on the lake is 40mph. TRUE or FALSE? TRUE.
- The nighttime speed limit on the lake is 20mph. TRUE or FALSE? FALSE.
- The maximum nighttime speed limit on the lake, between the hours of ½ hour after sunset to sunrise, is 10mph or less with minimal wake (6pts). (Section 3, K, Part b, Page 16).
- You need to be 100 ft. from shore to operate a watercraft faster than no wake speed. TRUE or FALSE? TRUE.
- “No Wake Speed,” means the slowest possible speed to move forward in a watercraft while maintaining course with minimal wake. TRUE or FALSE? TRUE.
- Your visitor was caught by Water Patrol riding a PWC at full speed in a cove. Will you get points? TRUE or FALSE? TRUE and maybe enough to lose your lake privileges.
- Navigation lights need to be displayed on all watercraft ½ hour after sunset and in visibility <100 yards. TRUE or FALSE? TRUE.
- Docking lights are to be used ONLY 100 ft from shore and when you are docking or approaching a stationery watercraft. TRUE or FALSE? TRUE! That is why they are called DOCKING LIGHTS! They will blind other boats if you keep them on when you are on an evening cruise. Don’t be that guy. (3pts)