From: EPLUS17@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu (Richard Engelbrecht-Wiggans)
Newsgroups: rec.boats
Subject: Re: Jet Skis
Date: 27 Jan 93 15:01:20 GMT
Organization: C.C.S.O.

In article <1993Jan26.113419.28034@ncrcae.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM>
kevin@turbo.Columbia.NCR.COM (Kevin Ormerod) writes:
 
>>My point is that irresponsibility is not limited to jet-skiers.  I have been
>>buzzed by bassboaters, waterskiers, and every other type of go-fast boat.
>>Believe it or not, I have even encountered one or two inconsiderate
>>sailors :).
>
>Scott, If you add pontoon boats and sailboards you would be duplicating
>my list.  It's the people -- not the toys!  There are plenty of safe
>drag-boat, bassboat, jet-ski, etc., etc., operators out there, but it
>only takes one yaa-hoo to spoil a nice day for dozens of people.
>
As an avid sailboarder, I see that much of the problem with
sailboards around here comes from the nature of the toy, NOT
from those who use it.  The irresponsibility, if any, is on
the part of those who think that a sailboard is in their way.
 
The nature of the toy:  One rigs a sailboard on land and then
carries it to the water.  The rigging area should be at least
50 feet square (I am trying to be modest in my demands), free
of sail threaten items (including sign posts, picnic tables,
charcoal grills, fire hydrants, etc.).  It must be have
unobstructed access to the water...say, a 25 foot wide swath
free of poles used to anchor floating docks, ten foot wide
slabs of concrete rubble with 12" pieces of rebar sticking out
of it, etc.  It must be within reasonable (say 1/4 mile) walking
distance of a place to park; all the gear must be hauled in by
hand from there.  And, one should have legal access; this means
avoiding swimming beaches and staying off private property.
 
The nature of the site:  There is one largish body of water within
50 miles of Champaign-Urbana IL.  It is the long, bent, ten square
mile cooling lake for Illinois Power's Clinton Nuclear Plant.
This lake has EXACTLY ONE site satisfying the (modest?) requirements
set out above.  It is the dinghy launch basin (a gravel ramp, into
a small bay, used by maybe 6 boaters on a typical summer day) just
downwind of the rather busys marina.  A little further downwind,
the lake shore takes a sharp bend out of sight.
 
The conflict:  Novice sailboarders go nowhere in a hurry, except
that they tend to drift downwind.  Common sense dictates that
they stay close to the launch site.  This puts them directly in
the path of any boat coming out of the marina and trying to go
to the upper reaches of the lake without first going a bit away
from shore.  More experienced sailboarders immediately head for
the stronger, steadier winds upwind in the main basin of the lake.
Getting past the entrance of the marina, an area of relatively very
light and uneven wind, takes some skill, effort and time.  Again,
marina traffic sees a lot of sailboards.
 
Resolution?:  I have attended meetings of lake users and those
who own (Illinois Power) and administer (Illinois Department of
Conservation) the lake.  A typical exchange goes as follows:
 
They: ...and, we are also looking into providing an alternate
      site for sailboard access.
 
Me:   What sort of time frame are we looking at?
 
They: We are sort of short of funds, and it may take another, oh,
      ten years to finish projects already on the master plan.
 
Me:   Is there anyway to get a sailboard access site onto the current
      plan?
 
They:  It is too late now.  You should have attended the public
       hearings when we developed the lake and expressed your
       concerns then.
 
But, that was 22 years ago, and that predates sailboards :-(
 
For the most part, all users of the lake coexist peacefully.  But
I have been intentionally side swiped by a powerboat who explained
(correctly, as it happens) that the IDOC police won't file a report
or in anyway follow up a complaint unless it results in personal
injury and/or at least $500 of property damage, and that I better.
keep my F###ing A## the H### out of the way of his boat and truck.
I am not stupid enough to press the issue.
 
As I said at the beginning, I believe that most of the conflicts
with sailboards--and of most conflicts ascribed to inconsiderate
sailboarders--actually derive from the nature of sailboards.
Sailboarders are far too vunerable to intentionally tangle with
bigger boats, and novice sailboarders have too little mobility
to intentionally tangle with anything.
 
Whew...I feel better now having gotten that off my chest.
 
..Richard E+17