...eeek.....it's back.....eek....oh-no!

[Island Life]

Originally Posted by WeirsBeachBoater

Maybe kayaks don't belong in the broads. Same reasoning. Even if there were hypothetically a 45mph limit, Kayaks can not keep up with traffic. They certainly create a hazard to themselves and other boaters.

Very revealing comment. My boat probably can't keep up with yours. Am I a hazard, too?

Actually, people who kayak as a sport can use the same argument that people with oversized boats use. They need wide-open stretches of water so they can paddle at high speed (yes, it is fast - but not your kind of fast).

Most people don't paddle in the broads, but rather cross from island to island, which requires paddling across fairly large, open areas of water. It's unavoidable. And it's very frightening to see large boats moving toward you at very high speed - and coming from multiple directions. You have no idea whether they can see you or whether they are focusing instead on the more obvious (motor) boats they notice. When you are sitting a few inches deep into the water, with nothing but a small shell around you and a paddle to wave, there is nothing irrational about that, Dave R.

And I was not at the lake for 25 days - I was there for the whole summer. Sure, there were fewer boats this summer, I agree. The number of paddlers is down significantly from what it was many years ago. And that is not because there are fewer paddlers out there - instead the sport is growing fast. The few I saw came by mostly in the early morning or mid-week when the boat traffic was low.

Originally Posted by WeirsBeachBoater

Same reason mopeds aren't allowed on interstates, can not stay with the flow of traffic, and are putting themselves in harms way and hindering all others.

WBB, there is no "flow of traffic" on a lake. Boats go in any direction they wish.

No, I'm not a crazed kayaker. I kayak around the island, that's all, maybe now and then to an adjacent island. I used to kayak a lot, but now I'm too afraid to go much farther than that. And yes, I do like to go "fast" in my boat (it's top speed is probably 45 or 50).