Sunapee Harbor, where my heart is

NHLife — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:52:00 GMT

Sunapee Harbor is where my heart is.

Lake Sunapee is the place where my family and I spent many a summer afternoon for years, whizzing around on our small boat, casting an occasional line into the water, hanging around lazily in the sun at the sandbar, and puttering around casually at times, discovering every nook and cranny of the lake that would become my love.

The beautiful thing about Sunapee is her solitude. It hangs over the lake like a blanket of peace and calm, only to be disturbed by the sound of fireworks on the Fourth of July, the rare unruly child, or the sound of a boat scrambling across from shore to shore.

Sunapee is the smaller, sweeter sibling to the much larger Lake Winnipesaukee. Where Winnipesaukee clamors for attention, always desiring to be in the center of all the action, Sunapee is more like the wallflower, overlooked at first, sitting in the corner of the room with arms crossed and eyes diverted, avoiding eye contact.

It’s not that she doesn’t want to get to know you. She just wants you to wander over, when you’re good and ready. And once you do - the moment you make contact - you are suddenly struck by her charm. Dig a little deeper, spend some time on her waters, get past the shy and quiet girl, and you’ll be taken in by her mystery and splendor. You’ll fall in love with all her ripples and rocks, with each curve and every cove.

And you’ll never want to leave.

Legislating our fun with speed limits on the lakes

NHLife — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:37:00 GMT

I try to stay away from politics. But this one is personal.

The New Hampshire House approved speed limits on Lake Winnipesaukee this week. Other lakes are sure to follow. And how fast do they think we should drive on the water? 45mph during the day. 25mph at night. I don't disagree with the latter, but I vehemently disagree with the former.

I used to - safely, I might add - drive a speedboat on New Hampshire's lakes. My boat was made to go fast, but it was not one of those large "gas-guzzling" ocean-worthy boats. It was a small speedboat that was agile and fun. In fact, the faster we went, the more maneuverable the boat was. And we went fast. But those days are over thanks to someone in a domed building pointing their finger down and telling me what kind of fun I should have. And just how fast I should be going when having said fun.

I'm trying to recall how many accidents were caused specifically by speed on New Hampshire’s lakes in the past decade. I don't recall many. Surely we need a law though to protect people from themselves, just in case.

I have also kayaked on the lakes and have never been affected by the speed of any boaters passing by. We are all responsible for our own actions out there on the lake. We all have to consider what is around us at all times - whether we are going 25mph or 55mph. If someone is coming at me at 45mph, I am likely to be just as frightened as if they are going 55mph. When I kayak, I keep to the edges of the lake and cross only when it’s safe to do so. I personally don’t feel that kayakers or canoeists should be floating nonchalantly in the middle of major passages of lakes. It’s like a bicycle trying to cross a highway. It’s just common sense.

If there was a problem with high speed accidents on the lakes, I could understand this new legislation. But in all my years of boating, I don't remember an accident that was caused solely by speed. Driver ignorance or inexperience and alcohol come to mind. But speed?? Not likely. The reason for that is simple. Most people slow down if there is the slightest chance that another boater is lurking nearby. That’s just respect.

There are already laws in place to protect boaters on the waters. Those laws are there so that boaters can safely navigate without colliding. There have been instances where I didn’t understand what a boater was doing so I pulled my throttle back and slowed to no-wake speed for my own safety. But, I can’t say that speed was ever an issue. A few years ago, the state made it mandatory to take Boater Education Courses. I balked at the idea, already having been a boater for several years, but I understood its purpose. But now we are going too far. It used to amaze me that it was legal to carry alcohol onboard a boat, even in open containers. Of course, you are not supposed to drink and drive. But somehow, they leave it up to the boater to be responsible for their own actions. What a concept! Did I mention that boats are not required – by law – to even have a speedometer on them?

Let's remember that we - as New Hampshire residents - own our lakes. They don't belong to the people that live around the lake, and they certainly don't belong to the legislators. They belong to all of us. But some of us think they know more than the rest of us. What's next? Will you, oh mighty gatekeepers, make me wear my personal floatation device too?

Be careful before your fun is legislated out of existence too. Thanks for ruining my summer in the middle of winter.

Live Free and Blog : boating

Sunapee Harbor, where my heart is

Legislating our fun with speed limits on the lakes