[sunset on the dock]

In today's LDS:

To The Daily Sun,

I am a professional mariner and hold the highest license issued by the U.S. Coast Guard, master. I have also attained master high speed vessel, master ocean fishing gross registered 5000 ton and master ocean towing 1600 ton. My entire adult life has been spent on the water as my career.

Over the past 30 years on Winnipesaukee, I have seen big changes, far more crowded, boaters that don’t know, understand or care about the rules, a lack of courtesy towards others, and a lack of empathy towards others sharing the same waterway.

As sad as it is to see what the lake is becoming, we did see some positive changes with the speed limit, some of the go-fast boats left, making room for families, pontoon boat sales have jumped, which have far less ecological impact on the lake than others. Many of those remaining decided that chancing running The Broads at 60 was better than being caught doing 90. Human nature dictates people will always go faster than posted, just like on our highways.


As a former operator of a commercial high-speed vessel in service to the U.S. Marine Corp., training, equipment and rules for high speed vessels are far different than what is required for operating ships at 20 knots. A three person watch must be in place, within reach of helm at all times, if the deck officer needs to get up, the engineer of the watch, or EOW, must be seated in the command chair. This is in open ocean at 40 knots, with the best equipment, not a lake, filled with small boat traffic, doing up to 100 mph. Boaters have no special training or equipment, just the money to go out and purchase 100 mph boats. Being on the lake is not “safer” than being on the roads. On the road we worry, about staying in our lane, and crossing traffic. On the lake that traffic can come from 360 degrees of approach. Boats have no “lookouts”, radar or ECDIS. Instead we have distractions such as children, spilling one's “drink” and objects shifting and moving about the boat with winds and motion. The lake has small spar buoys that are all but invisible at high speeds and shallows. Add in kayaks/canoes which are harder to see while traveling at high speed. Speed means less time to react, period, which is why professional mariners require special licenses and training.

Finally, we are destroying our lake. It is already overloaded, being polluted with unburned gas fumes. The faster you go the higher the fuel burn, horsepower required to speed is not linear. So, how long can we protect this incredibly valuable asset before it gets shut down to powerboats because of the damage done? Thirteen lakes have been shut down to powerboats in New York state because of pollution. Let’s do what we can to mitigate the damage from pollution and erosion while we can, while keeping the lake safer, cleaner, and more family friendly.


John Ratcliffe

Center Tuftonboro