A Wake Frustrated Boater Speaks Out!
Who among us cruisers has not experienced exactly the same lack of respect shown to moored vessels by wake making machines along the Waterway? Coincidentally, we are having the same issue here in South Carolina with cars speeding down flooded streets causing wake to flood into homes. Those drivers must be the same immature skippers who rock boats wherever they go…?
What I find most maddening, having been boating down here for 20 odd years, is that there is absolutely NO enforcement of no wake idle speed or slow speed zones going past bridges or marinas. We have had extensive problems in several different marinas and no one seems to care or do anything about it. I have seen numerous times large yachts and sport fish boats leaving huge damaging wakes and they are never stopped by FWCC or local law enforcement. However, I have seen dinghys stopped, small boats stopped, and slow small sailboats stopped and given citations, which leads me to the conclusion that FWCC is totally catering to the rich. They don’t dare stop them, just some poor, working class guy in a dinghy, who couldn’t throw a wake if he wanted to.
Karen Lawrence
Comments from Cruisers (2)
When actual damage is done to you or your boat, get in Ch16 and call the offending boat back. We did that recently, and the boat returned, and a claim against the boat resulted in payment for damages.
Try recording your trips on the waterway with video cameras of your wake and surrounding boats. When the overpaid cops show up record them also then go to court to get the charges thrown out and sue them for harassment especially after you show the huge wake left after a large boat passes by compared to yours if any.