Hb 847 Meeting In Concord.

[Airwaves]

So, beyond Bear Islander, no member of the speed limit crowd has commented on my proposal at a compromise, adopt Rule 6.

The question has been raised whether Governor Lynch will sign the bill or not, I don't know. Politics is a funny thing.

But to come back to previous posts;

Originally posted by APS
Managing boaters traveling at 70 to 130+ is not micromanaging: it's managing protected inland waters from the criss-crossing of boats traveling at wide-open (and insane) speeds. IMHO.

Here again, the New Hampshire Marine Patrol research, conducted on Lake Winnipesaukee (in New Hampshire just so that you don't have to go searching far and wide) did not show that to be true. It showed that fewer than 1 percent of the boats clocked by radar, done in much the same way the Marine Patrol will conduct radar posts if this bill becomes law, were traveling over 45 and as I recall off the top of my head the highest speed recorded was in the low 60's.

Originally posted by Evenstar:
First Skip digs up something that happened 25 years ago, which has nothing at all to do with the speed limit. I'm not even sure what you're getting at, other than to use this tragedy to poke fun at me.

I don't think, although I can't speak for everyone, that people are poking fun at you, just your thought process. At the same time you lament a kayak accident from 25 years ago being dragged up, the speed limit crowd points to an accident involving a Cigarette Boat nearly 40 years ago!

So an accident 25 years ago is not germain, but one 40 years ago is? Neither accident is relavent and that was the point.

Originally posted by APS:

1) Director Barrett's "Temporary Speed Limit" soothed the waters last season.

2) Certification with reciprocity is deeply flawed for New Hampshire—and a two year sunset provision is a good test, and Not Forever.

3) I think the governor will sign it. Who would want the ramifications of the next incident on his hands?

1) Director Barrett's research was just that, research. Bear Islander openly accused the Marine Patrol of fudging the results of that research. I disagree! The Marine Patrol conducted the research in the same way that I expect they will set up radar posts if this bill becomes law. I also expect the same results because speed is not a problem on Lake Winnipesaukee

2) This is the first year all powerboaters in New Hampshire are required to have a NASBLA approved safe boating certificate.
As Evenstar's former Coast Guard Station Commander from Florida wrote, paraphrasing here, As boater education increases, accidents decrease. Lake Winnipesaukee has one of the best safety records in the area, if not the best! Speed has not been blamed in any accident on Winnipesaukee in years! So since this is the first year safe boating certificates are required for all powerboaters, this would be the time for the two year "sunset test"!

In the 1970's when the Cigarette Boat accident in Gilford happend (still waiting for any kind of a link or PDF file from a newspaper article) nothing was required, as a matter of fact I believe there was still an on the water event involving sailboats going from point to point, landing on town docks, going to a bar, throwing back a drink, then going to the next point race. I don't recall what they called it but alcohol and driving, on land and on water, were not looked upon as a bad thing back in those days! Times have changed, and for the better I might add!


3) Will Governor Lynch sign this bill if it's approved? That's the wildcard. I don't know the inside politics of NH so I can only speculate on two points.

A. Is the bill necessary? Even Governor Lynch questions the need.
B. The bill would require either additional funding for the Marine Patrol or cutback in the services currently provided, either way I doubt Governor Lynch would approve.

So the wildcard is politics and on that point I don't know.