4th of July Fireworks @ The Weirs
 

This will be my first time going by boat to the 4th of July fireworks. I just noticed they are @12:00am on the 3rd. Please share your experiences tips, ideas best places to anchor.

Meredith
 

Meredith are at sundown on the 4th. Better show and much earlier time

Leave it tied to your slip --- midnight is way too late for old timers !!


If not --
In or around FL#1 ........ for your boat, you can ignore the FL#1 Black Top -- it's all good water to the shoreline ......... (that's local knowledge).

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I think you meant to say it's to late for you to stay up?

Meredith is fun, until everyone tries to go home. Then you feel like you're boating inside of a washing machine, and hope that everyone's nav lights are working (many often are not).

It's a bit overwhelming trying to get home, even when I have a larger boat. It's not quite a white knuckle experience, perhaps it depends on how comfortable you are in other people's night navigation skills.

I never have bothered trying to watch the Weirs fireworks from a boat.

Rattletrap, no disrespect meant here in any way. Unless you are both 100% familiar with the Weirs and navigating back to your slip from there without needing a chart AND have a fair amount of nighttime experience, I'd really recommend against it.

What I've seen of these type of events over the years is a lot of "me first" behavior and a lot of company heading out at the same time. Running at night is much much different than daytime and a skill that takes time and patience to develop. Imagine a bunch of people that are neither patient or experienced all heading home at the same time and take it from there. Oh and there will be a few that don't have proper running lights...

I know I'm being a worst case scenario "Debby Downer" here but I've dealt with everything from other boaters who think having their "headlights" on is OK (Only supposed to use those close to the dock) or last summer a completely unlit pontoon boat crossing my path running at 30+ mph. Thank God for moonlight lighting his up his wake, both myself and my wife saw him at the same time. I have well over 30 years experience running at night and was horrified with what could have happened. ( He was seeing my port / red light the whole way for the record and was well lit by my spot light once we saw him...)

Seriously, if you're new to running at night consider some short trips to familiar places to work up to longer runs. The traffic right after the fireworks could be more than you want to deal with.

patience
 

If you decide to go, it doesn't hurt to sit back and wait for a while after the show. Let everyone else race back. Then, take a slow ride home without as much pressure.

Dont go through Weirs Channel during the show or get too close. If the wind is blowing toward you, you and your boat can get covered with firework debris.

Alton Bay is the worst when leaving. Its much narrower and the residual waves can be severe.

Be alert and have multiple sets of eyes scouring your area.

I agree with the previous posts... if you are new (or even if not) wait it out for the crowd to leave and perhaps another 1/2 hour for the washing machine actions to subside before you attempt to navigate home.

I agree with just wait...
 

Just about anywhere on the lake where fireworks are held has a "choke" point, where a lot of boats all try to get through a relatively small area, and most are in a rush. Alton Bay from Sandy Point to past Echo Point is like that. Leaving Wolfeboro Bay between Sewell Point and Barndoor is like that. Leaving Merideth is like that, as is Center Harbor.

You have a choice: get in the middle of it, and get bounced around a beach ball in a hurricane, getting sprayed from every direction, and being the subject of road rage; or just sit back and relax. Have a coke, diet pepsi, bottle of water, finish off the appetizers. Clean up the trash and get it in the trash bag, making things easier for when you do get back to the dock. Then, when you can easily count the number of the all-around white lights that are moving in the direction you will be heading, turn on the blower, wait the recommended 4 minutes, then crank it up, and head off slowly, getting a feel for the water. Just keep yourself well back from the maddening crowd, and if it is a moonlit night, really enjoy the ride. Little kids on board: life preservers on, pads or towels on the deck, and let them nap as you head out (another reason to go slow ;) ).

Bottom line: Enjoy:)

Sunday night fireworks
 

I grew up going to the weekly fireworks at the Weirs by boat. It was a lot of fun, in part because there were a lot of friends (other teenagers) on nearby boats and a lot of social calling back and forth. That's probably not for a newbie, but going some other night when you have more night time experience and it's a little less crowded could be an adventure.

Not knowing where homeport is, it's hard to make other suggestions on locations, nav routes, etc. but generally, I'd consider watching from a spot not close to the center of activity, and not central to the exiting traffic from choke points.

The more I think about this,, the more I think,
1. Stay home until you have more experience. You can't do everything the first season and
2. Find an EXPERIENCED friend and ride on his boat at night until you develop your skills.

This is a great tip! :)

I had a friend take me on the lake at night, and he gave me many pointers that would have taken me a while to figure out on my own.

Midnight fireworks is a family tradition, interrupted only by having small children.
I won't repeat the wise cautions on boating at night, but instead share insights from my experiences. I like to get with a few hundred feet of the beach swim line to watch the display; it can feel like it's right overhead. Maybe just luck, but never had an issue with ashes. If you have the time before, sending a "runner" up the boardwalk to fetch fried doughs is tasty, but don't count on a place to tie up.
While anchored, the MP have asked to leave both white (anchor) and red/green nav. lights on, to help improve visibility.
I will repeat the suggestions to linger after the display, and let the yahoos clear the area first. We always planned on a 6 mph ride out to Eagle, before traffic clears. I feel Weirs has the least bottleneck effect of the major firework displays; the other bays force boater together for longer, whereas the Weirs has several main routes of dispersion. Note MP may sit and use their flashing blues to identify channel or marker.
Consider the weather; it can be cool at midnight, especially exposed at 25 mph.
Should be late enough not to worry about mosquitoes; those will be a bother for dusk displays.

Staying Still
 

I agree with the others of having plenty of nighttime experience and knowing your way back home.

The other issue is staying still waiting and watching the fireworks. It is not the easiest thing to do and you and others will drift all over the place. This takes practice as well.

I have learned to love watching the fireworks from many towns from my dock!!

IG

Rockets Red Glare
 

We also can see fireworks from several of the towns around the lake from our location on East Bear Island. Also, several of our neighbors put on a great display. However, our two Scottish terriers do not share this opinion.