Conference unifix::sailing

    It's not motorboat free, but Lake Massabesic in Manchester, NH is the
    city resevoir, and they don't allow swimming.  That cuts down on the
    motor boat traffic pretty significantly.  There's lots of sail boats,
    and a yacht club that has a fleet of Lightnings that race on weekends. 
    If you want to sail there, launch at the boat launch in the center of
    Auburn.  The one on the north side of the lake has a power line
    directly over it.  The one in Auburn has a large parking area and no
    power lines.
    
    

    Hopkinton Res. in Hopkinton Mass. does not allow motors. It's a
    smallish lake with wooded (not developed) shoreline.
    
    On the down side: $5.00 to get into the park to launch.
    
    		Robert.

I forgot to mention in .1:

If you launch a boat in Massabesic, wear a pair of waders.  Wading in the lake 
without waders on is verboten, and if the watershed police catch you, they
charge you $50.00 for the privilege.  They've been as thick as fleas on a dog
this year for some reason or other.

    Referring to .3:
    
    After sailing a number of years on Massabesic and always fighting to
    get my heavy waders on and off, I decided I wanted an easier way.
    
    (Try putting on waders, mounting the rudder, putting up the main and jib, 
    putting down the centerboard, pulling in the sheets and then struggling
    to remove the waders as you sail off; not easy.)
    
    Fortunately, Massabesic is an excellent lake to sail once you get
    everything straightened out.
    
    This year, I found a solution.  I bought lightweight waders at the 
    Kittery Trading Post in Maine.  The waders are less than a pound.  I 
    then slip on canvass shoes.  It's a breeze now.  
    
    When I get home, I just hang the shoes up in my garage to dry.  
    
    You may be able to buy these lightweight waders where you live.  I just 
    happen to be in Maine one week.
    
    Al

          
    

The Union Leader - Wed Aug 9

Safety Commissioner Outlaws Jet Skis on 2 Wolfeboro Lakes

Safety Commissioner Richard Flynn has decided to prohibit jet skis on 3,000
acre Lake Wentworth and 210 acre Rust Pond, both in Wolfeboro, effective Oct. 1.
  Also, Flynn yesterday denied the appeal of jet ski manufacturer Kawasaki
Motor Corp., USA which objected to Flynn's July 6 decision and order which
banned weekend jet ski use on Mascoma Lake in Enfield as of July 29.
.
.
.
  Flynn had already ordered a jet ski ban on 315 acre Deering Lake, known as
Deering Reservoir, in Deering effective Oct. 1.
  He ordered a total jet ski ban on 169-acre Upper Kimball Pond in Chatham
beginning Oct. 1.
  Public hearings have been held and Flynns decisions are pending on total
bans sought for Little Sunapee and Pleasant Lake in New London. on Gregg 
Lake in Antrim, on Wild Goose Pond in Pittsfield, on Stinson and Loon Lake
in Rumney, on Rockwood Pond in Fitzwilliam, on Lake Winnipocket in Webster
and on Crescent Lake in Wolfeboro.
.
.
.
In his order yesterday of a full jet ski ban on Lake Wentworth, Flynn found
that the use of jet skis "denies safe pursuit of the lake and constitutes a
hazard to the safety of the public and property". 
  "Ski craft use interferes with the use of the lake for drinking water by 
churning up silt said Flynn". ... He said the use of ski craft "has a 
detrimental effect on loons and other wildlife on the lake".
.
.
.
  Further public hearings on petitions to ban jet ski use on various lakes 
include:
    o	Aug 12, at 9:30 a.m. at the Conway Town Hall for a ban on Conway Lake
	in Conway

    o	Aug. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Washington Town hall for a ban on Island
	Pond, also known as Washington Lake

    o	Aug 19 at 9 a.m. at the Gilford Middle High School to restrict ski
	craft to a triangular area of the Broads on Lake Winnipesaukee.

    o	Aug 25 at 7 pm in the Northwood Town Hall for a ban on Long Pond in
	Northwood

    o	Aug 25 at 7 p.m. in the Kingston Town hall for a ban on the southern 
	end of Country Pond in Kingston.

    o	Aug 25 at 8 p.m. in the Kingston Town hall for a ban on Great Pond
	(Kingston Lake), Kingston

    o	Aug 26 at the Hampstead Middle School, Hampstead, for a ban on Big
	Island Pond situated in Derry, Atkinson, and Hampstead.

My preference would be for jet skis to be banned from all lakes and I
submitted written testimony to this effect. Indeed, a few days after I mailed
the testimony, a legislator that I copied on it added several levels of
eloquence and used it in her testimony on this law.

However, I cannot support limiting jet skis to the Broads. Because, THAT'S
WHERE I SAIL! If they must be on the lake, let them stay closer to shore and
in the larger bays where power boats predominate. Or better, limit them to 
Paugus Bay.

If you wish to testify on any of the specific proposals, send mail within five
days of the public hearing to:

	Bureau of Hearings
	Department of Safety
	10 Hazen Drive
	Concord, NH 03301

This is the address used to submit petitions to ban jet skis. I am assuming it 
is the correct address for written testimony. 

- Bob

    There were several articles in the Boston Globe yesterday concerning
    Jet Skis.
    
    1. They are trying to limit Jet Skis to the "broads" on Lake Winni.
       because it is the only part big enough to support them while keeping
       them away from shore. Opponents said the law was discriminating and
       that the lake is turning into a playground for snobs who are trying
       to outlaw less expensive vessels on the lake.
    
    2. The State of Conn. is getting ready to make all operators get
       licenses to operate. They will give anyone who currently owns or
       operates a boat, or who has taken an test their license automaticly.
       After 1991, or for people under 18, they will have to pass the test.
       The offical said the traffic on the Conn river is 10 times what is
       was 10 years ago, and says they need to ensure people understand the
       rules of the road, and have something they an lose if they do not
       follow the rules. You will not need a license for a canoe or a raft
       of a tire tube.
    
    3. The State of Mass is trying to create an ordinace banning jet skis 
       in much the same manner as New Hampshire has. They say Jet Skis
       account for less than 2% of the registrations, but for 60-70% of
       the complaints. The Harbormaster in Scituate says the incident
       reports are way down this year. He thinks that the Jet Ski group is
       trying clean up it's act before they are outlawed.