Places Where Personal Watercraft Will Be Prohibited

TBO.com AP News ^ | 4/10/02 | Associated Press

[sauropod]

-Cape Cod National Seashore, Mass.

-Cape Lookout National Seashore, N.C.

-Cumberland Island National Seashore, Ga.

-Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Penn.

-Gulf Island National Seashore, Fla. and Miss.

-Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Ind.

-Padre Island National Seashore, Texas.

-Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, Calif.

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These five parks and recreation areas will ban watercraft beginning April 22 until rules are approved allowing some watercraft use:

-Assateague Island National Seashore, Md.

-Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas.

-Fire Island National Seashore, N.Y.

-Gateway National Recreation Area, N.Y.

-Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Mich.

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Superintendents have until Sept. 15 to decide whether to allow watercraft at these eight recreation areas:

-Amistad National Recreation Area, Texas.

-Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Mont.

-Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Okla.

-Curecanti National Recreation Area, Colo.

-Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Ariz. and Utah.

-Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Ariz. and Nev.

-Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Texas.

-Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Wash.

AP-ES-04-10-02 1954EDT

[sauropod]

Are you mad yet?

Deus Vult! 'Pod

[sauropod]

Another Match.

[Redleg Duke]

I personally don't think they should be banned, but the bag and possession limits on operators and passengers should be significantly increased!

[sauropod]

Hey George -

I guess this means you will have to get rid of the speed boat you have down there on the Severn, eh?

'Pod

[eastforker]

At least ban them from within 100 yards of any boat.

[sauropod]

If you are referring to catching fish, then your point is well taken. But the whole concept in play here is that of "commons" or public "land." I have the same objection here that i have for National Park people cordoning off large sections of land from people.

Not fair. Not constitutional.

[Catspaw]

I personally don't think they should be banned, but the bag and possession limits on operators and passengers should be significantly increased!

My personal preference is placing a bounty on them. Gawd, I hate those things.

[eastforker]

A pwc is not a boat,they are talking about wave runners and seado's,they are a menace and hazard around boaters.

[backhoe]

I happen to agree with you. While this is a fairly small skirmish, I'd rather it had gone the other way.

[Cagey]

They are considered a watercraft and in most states are registered as a boat. It's not the PWC's that should be banned, it's irresponsible operators that should be and there is no shortage of them. I've seen plenty of lousey boat operators as well.

[sauropod]

Understood. Tho' to a non-boater, personal water craft = boat.

Stricter regulations regarding the wave runners are probably in order.

Not prohibition tho. My reasoning still stands re: commons.

[Eska]

Ya know up here, the greenies complain about snowmachines in the same manner; but they are outnumbered 100 to 1.

It all seems to relate to numbers of people. You go out in the bush and there's no problem, but come back on the road system and everyones fightin over right of access and utilization of the resource.

And we still got good snow above treeline for riding.

[Catspaw]

A pwc is not a boat,they are talking about wave runners and seado's,they are a menace and hazard around boaters.

I wouldn't mind it if the operators were responsible & complied with boating laws and regulations the way we do, but we've been buzzed by pwc at anchor in a cove & other anchorages, seen them weave through boats at moor, been buzzed while sailing--cutting in closely front of us, doing circles around us-- had them blast into the marina at full speed--doing donuts in the marina just for fun--seen them whip through groups of small fishing boats at anchor, been in or cause near accidents, you name it.

[eastforker]

I agree on lousy boat operators.Most pwc operators remind me of a motorcyle rider weaving in and out of traffic.I can be traveling at a safe distance from the boat in front of me and a pwc will cross right in front of me wanting to cross the other boats wake,or,your trying to fish and one of them is 50 feet away doing 180's.In all fairness,they have every right to go where a boat can go but thier manners remind me of kid running up and down the aisle at a crowded supermarket with an empty shopping cart.

[FITZ]

It makes me mad---they just need some regulation but not banning like you said. Cars are hazards to bike riders and pedestrians but we can't ban them too ---there should be someway of allowing everyone to share a lake. As this country becomes more and more crowded, there's less for people to do.

[Cagey]

And the infamous "ride your wake". I find them most annoying in an anchorage cove I sometimes go to.

You ever notice that more often than not the operator is some middle-aged lug going around each boat trying to catch a look at the bikinis? There he is with his shades and a baseball hat on backwards to cover up his bald spot imagining he's James Bond on a secret mission. Hahahaha

[Catspaw]

It all seems to relate to numbers of people. You go out in the bush and there's no problem, but come back on the road system and everyones fightin over right of access and utilization of the resource.

Not really. We sail primarily on the bay of Green Bay. It may not look like much on a map, but it's about 13-20 miles wide, 90 miles long. There's plenty of space. There is no reason for pwc to buzz boats intentionally, to harass fishermen at anchor, to operate at full speed in anchorages, marinas and moorings, to violate no-wake zones, to try to tip over canoes and kayaks with their wakes, go through clearly marked swimming areas & on & on & on. They're supposed to comply with boating laws and regs, the same way we do--and all of the above are violations, whether it's a pwc or a conventional boat. But they're viewed as a toy by some operators and at least half of the operators of pwc we've observed in years of sailing violate the boating laws and regs routinely.

[sauropod]

Our culture has lost its civility. We are now a Rude America.

BTW, nice to see you. 'Pod

[Catspaw]

I agree on lousy boat operators.Most pwc operators remind me of a motorcyle rider weaving in and out of traffic.

They're like waterborne crotch rockets and are marketed as such.

[peteram]

PWC's are very popular here in Florida (I have even rode one on occasion). I always shake my head, though when I read that occasional story about the poor soul who ran headlog at full throttle into a dock.