Operating a vessel on the water is invigorating. The freedom it gives, no lanes, no traffic lights and almost no limits on where you can go. If you want to toss your anchor and take a dip, hit the sandbar, or find a fishing hole and try your luck, it’s your prerogative and it’s what being a boater is all about. As you navigate to your spot, be mindful that your wake is an extension of your vessel.
No wake zones exist in certain areas to keep vessel traffic to a minimal speed, and NO WAKE means just that, no wake. Most small pleasure crafts will make a larger wake at half throttle than being up on plane. Slowing to half throttle with your engine trimmed up and your bow in the air will create a wake that pro wakeboarders would love to ski on. The energy created by that wake can cause severe damage to nearby docked vessels and vessels anchored close together. Remember, just because your vessel is clear doesn’t mean your wake is, and you are responsible for the damage.
There are also instances where no official “NO WAKE ZONE” signs exists but common sense should apply. When you see other boaters anchored together, or a boat moored up at a dock on the waterway. Also, watch for towing vessels, especially when they have a tow at the hip, slow down and give them plenty of room. You’ll have a new appreciation for mindful boaters when they don’t rock your vessel against the dock. It’s not intentional, it’s unfamiliarity, and the best cure for unfamiliarity is education.
Happy boating.
Capt. Mike Holloway
Sneads Ferry