[Evenstar]

Originally Posted by chase1

...You ans I should not be restricted from kayaking in the broads just because someone else can't handle it. This is just one of the reasons I have opposed the speed limit. I do not feel it is right to restrict all powerboats boats on this lake based on the actions of a few inexperienced recreational boaters.

The difference is that a high-speed powerboater can easily kill a kayaker – the opposite is not true. Many powerboaters on this forum have admitted that they often have trouble seeing kayaks – and traveling at high speeds just increases the danger of hitting one of us - and too many of us have had close calls.

Perhaps all those who detail their fear filled lake experiences as support for speed limits, were just in to deep.

The only time I have ever been in danger while kayaking are the times that highspeed powerboats have nearly run me over. And I have done Class II rapids, kayaked in ocean waters, and kayaked in cold weather. I oversee kayaking at my university. I am trained in ocean rescues and in first aid and CPR. I have taken an advanced paddling seminar and a costal navigation seminar. I’m an NCAA athlete and a registered member of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association. My team is on the water 6 days a week from the end of August until mid November - and we return to the water in late February. I know what I am doing on the water – and I know when I’m in danger.
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Originally Posted by B R

Actually, i do think it is my business. you are one of the few very vocal proponents of the law and it's my guess you don't even come here; or have on a very few occasions.

No it is not your business. The reason that I am one of the few proponents of the speed limit on this forum is because of the way that the opponents here treat us. Most members who do support the speed limit are not about to put up with all the personal attacks and ridicule and false statements and outright lies that I have had to deal with here. Anyone who posts in this forum in support of the lake speed limit immediately becomes a target.

I wrote: “But I've paddled there more times than you have suggested”. So my reply was that I’ve paddled on winni more than 10 times. So you can stop trying to guess and you can stop making up false accusations about me. I answered your question. I HONESTLY don’t know how many times I have paddled on any NH lake – I paddle a LOT on a LOT of lakes and on the ocean. I have a hard enough time just keeping track of miles I paddle. I passed 1000 miles early in my 3rd summer of paddling (which is somewhere between 300 and 400 hours of paddling).

you said yourself you have paddled 250 miles on NH lakes.

The last time I checked, winni was a NH lake – and that is roughly how far I have paddled JUST THIS SUMMER. Where did I write that winni was excluded from the NH lakes that I have paddled on this summer???

why then do you have to push your agenda on a lake you don't even visit very often?

Because I’m a NH resident and would like to be able to paddle safely on my state’s largest lake – without having high-speed powerboats violate my 150 foot zone – because they are going too fast to notice me. Geeze! How many times do I have to state my reasons here??? They haven’t changed, since the first time that I paddled on winni in 2005 (I didn’t buy my first kayak until 2004). And, as I wrote in my previous post: “I plan on paddling on winni a lot more often once the speed limit goes into effect.” In case you haven’t noticed, I and many others feel that winni is not currently a safe lake for paddlers – due to the high speeds of some powerboats.

I'd like to use their argument to say you shouldn't have a say in this fight since you don't even boat here regularly. I think it is a relevant question and one you have refused to answer. You not having an answer should be answer enough for most of us.

I did answer your question the best I can – I stated that it was more than you suggested – so, in case you’re still having trouble: THIS MEANS MORE THAN 10 TIMES. I never lie, so I’m not going to just make up a number, when I honestly don’t know exactly. As Bear Islander stated, I actually have more right to post my views on the lake than any non-resident does.
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Originally Posted by COWISLAND NH

Like my parents said it's who ya know.....now we all know who was whining about all the dangerous boats on the lake to all those reps. What we really need to ask is how many of those people who voted acually have been on the lake and had such scary experiences.....or have they just heard the scary speed boat stories from a small "in" house group!

Again I am being accused of doing something that I haven’t done. Interns are not allowed to push their own political views while working at the State House – I could not even email the Senators in support of this bill. I was allowed to testify at the House Committee Hearing only because it was held during my spring break (while interns had the week off).

My point about knowing most of the Senators is that I intimately know the process of hearings and on how much time is spent at collecting and reading data so that a Senator can make an informed vote. I do know that at least three of the Senators are avid kayakers – and one Senators told me that her husband was nearly run over by a high-speed powerboat on Winni. The Senators I know who voted for the bill are not the “spineless, noodleback hacks” that Seaplane Pilot accused them of being.