Everyone knows the POA has done much in the past couple years to help improve boating safety on our lake. The Watercraft testing for an Operator Permit assures people at least once each year see the rules and removes any excuse for not knowing if they violate them.
Even so, we still hear reports almost daily of boat operators violating the rules.
The most dangerous violation of them all is going the wrong way! That could get someone killed!
It occurred to me that the definition of the proper direction refers to an analog clock, and that we must travel "counter clockwise". In this digital age, it makes me wonder if everyone actually understands that reference! I'm pretty advanced in my years and even I wear a smart watch with a digital clock face, so it's easy to see how people younger than me might not get the reference. (though you'd think they could look it up)
Wrong way travel happens often when the boater takes off from their starting point and heads in a straight line to their destination. We see it often when boats leave the Marina and can't seem to resist making an immediate left turn to go North on the lake.
So, I asked myself, what visual image fits all situations for boat navigation on our lake? What would describe the counter clockwise travel, perhaps better than the analog clock reference?
I imagine the entire lake as one big round about.
In the image I'm sharing, you can clearly see 2 important navigation themes for direction of travel.
There are NO LEFT TURNS
There is NO STRAIGHT LINE starting from point A to point B
No left turns includes when you need to pick up a downed skier or tuber. It's quite amazing how many people pass the test and still do this wrong.
No straight line means when leaving your cove or a dock, you don't just head out into the main body. Think of it as a merge into the traffic flow, you first generally bear to the right to join the flow of traffic and then go around to your destination.
Please be safe, for yourself, your family and friends and others sharing the waterway.