Photos by Jared Soares | The Roanoke Times

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Officer Karl Elsea (center) puts a cap on a gas can. Fuel discounts are available from a boaters group and at least one marina, and the state offers a refund program.

Dwayne Lamb, owner of Captain's Quarters Marina at Smith Mountain Lake, says he is not seeing any negative effect on his business because of high fuel prices. "It is just a shock. People will make adjustments."

It will take more than rising gasoline prices to keep Mike Meador and his bass fishing boat off Smith Mountain Lake.

The plumber from Moneta said weekends spent fishing are his quality time, something he has enjoyed since childhood.

"To save money, I guess I'd have to stop fishing as much," Meador said. "But I have to look at it this way: Do I want to quit fishing?"

Instead of giving up the pastime, he budgets fuel purchases by limiting that spending to $100 per weekend -- an example of the ways recreational boaters are keeping their heads above water as gasoline prices continue to soar and as the Memorial Day weekend kicks off the lake's busiest time of the year.

One marina owner said he is not seeing any negative effect on his business.

"We were OK when we went from $1 [per gallon] to $2," said Dwayne Lamb, who owns Captain's Quarters Marina. "I think we will be OK going from $3 to $4. It is just a shock. People will make adjustments."

Lamb said business was up in April. He ran eight more fishing charters last month than he did in April 2007. He did, however, raise the daily rates by $25 to account for the increase in the price of a gallon of gasoline, which has risen more than a dollar in the past two years.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration estimates the average cost of gasoline this summer will be $3.66 per gallon. Last year's average price was $2.81 per gallon, and in 2006 the average was $2.58 per gallon.

Gas prices on the lake usually are about 40 to 50 cents higher than on the road, Lamb said. Still, he does not think the situation is dire enough to keep boaters out of the water.

A slogan for the times

"Smith Mountain Lake -- It's Closer Than You Think."

That's what the lake's chamber of commerce wants potential tourists, from as close as the Roanoke and New River valleys, to remember. The chamber recently launched an advertising campaign using that slogan that is aimed at travelers who are within a couple of hours drive from the lake, said executive director Vicki Gardner.

"Even in Roanoke and Lynchburg, people misperceive the closeness of Smith Mountain Lake from those cities," said Linda Nardin, media relations and marketing manager at the chamber.

The campaign seeks to attract tourists in closer geographic markets who may not be taking pricier vacations, such as ones requiring air travel, in light of the strained economy and soaring gasoline prices, Gardner said.

The television and radio spots are running on networks and stations from Washington, D.C., to Raleigh, N.C., with the "It's closer than you think" slogan.

It is not the first time the chamber has turned to television to advertise, but it is its first using cable channels.

Nardin said she already is seeing guests in the lake's visitors center who have seen or heard the commercials and come to visit. She expects the trend to continue, especially now that Memorial Day weekend -- the unofficial start of summer recreation -- is here.

Roy Enslow of Bridgewater Marina said many of his renters are traveling from closer communities. He took a boat rental reservation from a Vinton family who will be staying in a cabin for a week at Smith Mountain Lake State Park instead of making their usual trek to Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Susan Epling of Smith Mountain Lake Vacation Rentals in Moneta said her office is receiving more calls from people who want to rent a vacation home for three to four days as opposed to weeklong stays.

"We don't generally have a lot of that beyond the beginning of summer," Epling said. "People are weighing how long they can stay and balancing the budget for gas."

While she is taking more reservations from people in the Roanoke and Lynchburg areas, Epling said the majority of the clients come from out of state.

Vacation home reservations for the holiday weekend started slow, but out of about 30 properties, the rental company has only four vacancies, she said.

Throttle still engaged

At the lake's Captain's Quarters Marina, boat and personal watercraft rentals make up about half the sales.

"That is my bread and butter," Lamb said.

Without the rentals it would be nearly impossible to turn a profit.

"Folks are still calling and reserving boats," he said.

Enslow, of Bridgewater Marina, said it has been hard to gauge whether watercraft rentals actually are lower this spring versus a year ago because of all the rainy weekends this year. Nonetheless, he expects rentals Saturday and Sunday to be booked.

"Boating is a lifestyle," Enslow said. "People are not necessarily going to change their lifestyle. They are going to change how they conduct themselves."

Boaters are looking for ways to maximize gasoline usage, including spending more time anchored, he said.

"They are still taking boats out but doing more fishing and more lake activities than traveling up and down the lake," Enslow said.

Another way to conserve gasoline is by running a boat at three-quarters throttle, which reduces gasoline use by about 20 percent.

"And you can't tell much difference in speed," Enslow said.

Beginning June 1, patrons can save 10 cents per gallon of gasoline at Bridgewater Marina when renting watercraft there or from either of its two satellite locations, Enslow said.

There are two other programs -- one state and one local -- boaters can take advantage of to ease the pain at the pump.

The state's Department of Motor Vehicles will refund part or all of the motor fuel tax on gasoline and diesel used for recreational boating. The motor fuel tax is 17.5 cents per gallon.

More than $265,000 was refunded during the 2007 fiscal year to Virginia's recreational boaters, said John Gruber, director of financial analysis and reconciliation for the DMV. The average amount of the refunds was $64, Gruber said.

Members of the Smith Mountain Lake Boating Association receive a 7-cent per gallon discount at participating marinas beginning this weekend and running through September. A membership costs $15 per year or $50 for a five-year membership and is open to anyone, said association president Kim Harden.

SMLBA's major event and fundraiser is the annual Tom Maynard Memorial Poker Run, which is in its 11th year. The event was held last weekend, with 36 boats participating. The number of registered boats was down from 54 last year -- something that was due in part to high gas prices, Harden said.

"For some of the high performance boats to run that day, it cost more than $800," she said. "Those boats eat a lot of fuel."