is this right!!!

[chaddemler1980]

was out for the fourth on my buddies boat. cruising the lake before the fireworks when all of a sudden we get pulled over by the sheriffs boat... my buddy got a fine for creating a "large" wake in a no wake zone. we were in open water over the posted 600 feet away from shore line/bay entrance... my buddy just happened to slow down almost right in front of the bay entrance "but still well outside of the 600 foot zone" and the wake traveled into the bay and it was packed and boaters were upset, but still we obeyed all postings and it was truly just a freak incidence. cant believe these officers still gave him the ticket! we were in open water and atleast 3 times further away than was posted. we explained this and the officer had the nerve to say it looked as though we did it on purpose... talk about almost having a mutiny at sea.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: is this right!!!

That's boating.
All part of it when you are on their turf. They pretty much have the final say.
Even if it's wrong.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: is this right!!!

Well the Sheriff made a couple of people mad, you & your buddies, and a hundred happy, those in the bay.

I don't know if you vote for the position of Sheriff in your area, but we do, remember him at election time. Maybe he is running for re-election, and it was just his way of kissing babies on the 4th!

P.S. County Sheriffs in our area don't have a very good reputation. They seem to always be getting themselves arrested for some reason or the other, by the FBI. What goes around, comes around!

 

[5150abf]

Re: is this right!!!

If you had done that exact same thing on the 3rd it would probably have gone unnoticed but with the diffferent conditions you got the ticket.

My dad was an officer and I have gotten stupid tickets before so I can see both sides of this one, mark it down as experience and be glad your buddy, not you got the ticket.

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: is this right!!!

You are responsible for your wake, period end of story. If your wake goes onto someone's land and does damage, you are responsible even if you are following the letter of the law. I don't see why you think the sheriff was wrong.

 

[The Great Escape II]

Re: is this right!!!

was out for the fourth on my buddies boat. cruising the lake before the fireworks when all of a sudden we get pulled over by the sheriffs boat... my buddy got a fine for creating a "large" wake in a no wake zone. we were in open water over the posted 600 feet away from shore line/bay entrance... my buddy just happened to slow down almost right in front of the bay entrance "but still well outside of the 600 foot zone" and the wake traveled into the bay and it was packed and boaters were upset, but still we obeyed all postings and it was truly just a freak incidence. cant believe these officers still gave him the ticket! we were in open water and atleast 3 times further away than was posted. we explained this and the officer had the nerve to say it looked as though we did it on purpose... talk about almost having a mutiny at sea.

Believe it or not but you are responsible for your wake and any damage it does regardless if it was in a NO WAKE zone. So since your wake outside that area continued into the no wake zone that still is an offense. Most boaters think that they can cruise past a moored boats tied together and it's just fine. But if your wake caused damage you will be at fault.

 

[fishmen111]

Re: is this right!!!

People assume that they need to be off plane AT the no wake markers. That's too late. You must idle down way before the markers to ensure your wake is down upon entry. The officer was correct. Sorry.

 

[45Auto]

Re: is this right!!!

Yep, NO WAKE ZONE means no wake! Doesn't mean you can speed around just outside the signs throwing the biggest wake you can and thumbing your nose because you're outside the signs. As others said, you're ALWAYS responsible for your wake no matter where you are. The cops around here love to sit just around the corner in a NO WAKE zone that starts just before the corner. People come speeding up to the corner, chop their throttle at the signs, and come around the corner coming off plane and throwing a huge wake. The sheriff boat is sitting there smiling. They can sit there and write tickets all day.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: is this right!!!

Proper Operation for the Conditions. Many boats, slow down.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: is this right!!!

This is a little different situation but I'll post it since it is a good example of why you are responsible for your wake. My neighbor and I were fishing some years back along the Wisconsin side of the St Croix River. The river is very wide at that particular spot so we weren't paying much attention to anything else except fishing. I was at the bow running the troller with my back toward the river. Something caused me turn turn my head and to my surprise a very large roller (wave/wake) was seconds away from us. I quickly nosed the boat into the wave and took a good amount over the bow. Had we been broadsided we would likely have capsized or as a minimum dumped us overboard. The 55+ footer heading down river at full tilt caused the wake. The vessel pilot probably had no idea what had happened but even at that great distance, wakes can do damage. Get a bunch of boats rafted together and a rogue wave can damage a lot of gel coat and make a bunch of owners very upset. As mentioned, you are responsible for your wake regardless where it ends up.