Jerry Hale

Jerry writes about leisure activities at the lake in his monthly column.

Recent columns

• Stalking stripers
• Laws, safety guidelines for wakesurfers unclear
• Recipe for safe boating in 2008
• Getting your waterfront ready for the season

Now that my column has begun appearing regularly, people occasionally offer suggestions for topics to be covered. And I welcome those ideas.

The one I hear most often typically begins, "How about telling people to stop ________!" The blank, of course, is filled in with some complaint or referral to an act of carelessness or discourtesy afloat.

So, this month's column offers some suggestions for best boater practices.

Most lake-area residents need no courtesy primer; you who are not guilty of these boater blunders" can read them with the comforting knowledge that those "other guys" are being reminded to mind their manners.

With that, I climb upon my soapbox and offer these synopses of common boater boo-boos:

1: Dangling fenders. This is my pet peeve. It seems far too many boats -- most often but not exclusively, pontoons -- operate with fenders hanging from the rails, being buffeted aft by spray, threatening to become dislodged and left as unsightly flotsam. Besides being an expensive bit of carelessness (yes, they will eventually fall off), this is the boater equivalent of an open fly or a hem or bra strap showing. It suggests the captain is inexperienced, negligent or just plain lazy. So do your boater image a favor and stow the fenders when you leave the dock. SML will look even more idyllic when we all get this one down pat.

2: Using boat "headlights" underway. I heard this one several times after our great night of fireworks on July 5^th and have witnessed it a couple of times since: "What's with people using their docking lights out on the lake?" Those bright forward-facing lights are to be used only when approaching a dock and should be turned off while underway. Leaving them on is discourteous and unsafe: They can be confused with automobile headlights; they ruin the night vision of approaching skippers as well as the discourteous captain; and they mask the red/green bow lights that are supposed to indicate direction of travel and right-of-way. Do everyone a favor and douse them while out on the lake.

3: Following in the wake of a boat that is towing skiers, boarders or tubers. Nothing is more frustrating for a towboat skipper than to have another boat trailing the person being towed, on course to run them over should they fall. With tubers especially, a trailing skipper can miss seeing a rider who has fallen off in the seconds it takes to scan left or right for other traffic. If you are running near someone pulling a rider, stay outside their wake where you are less of a danger to the skier and irritant to the boat driver.

4: Passing too close to docks. Be generous with the "stay 50 feet from docks" rule. Even 50 feet of leeway can look pretty skimpy to people onshore when they have kids swimming 15 or 20 feet from their dock. Give docks -- especially when swimmers are present -- an extra wide berth and get a friendly wave rather than angry glare from those on shore.

5, 6 & 7: A "double-up" (make that "triple-up") by the board sports crowd:

• Destructive wakes: Boats that are ballasted (weighted down) for big-air boarding and wakesurfing create huge waves that can do real damage to moored boats, docks -- especially floaters -- and shoreline stabilization. Balance your quest for buttery-smooth water with a respect for the property you are passing. Try not to travel the same route over and over again; be very generous with space between you and docks, remembering that your rider is considered part of the boat as far as the 50-foot rule is concerned. Also, be mindful of skullers/kayakers, who can be swamped by board boat wakes.

• Surf's up: We surfers don't need butter to be happy, so let's vow to stay out of the tight coves where our exaggerated rollers are doing real damage to docks and shorelines and irritating the people who own them. There are wide-water places, where wakes can dissipate before they reach shore, that are not in the main-channel traffic pattern. Use those rather than the peaceful coves, which, to the chagrin of folks on shore, stop being peaceful when we show up to surf.

• Too-loud music: Sure, tunes are part of the boarding scene, but let's remember to respect the sanctity of people on shore who, believe it or not, probably don't share a passion for the tunes played by boarders. Drivers, keep the music at a level audible only to those in the boat. It is not a huge sacrifice for a rider (who's not really paying attention anyway) to be out of range of the thumping bass, and it will lead to far fewer complaints about the sport's impact on those with whom we share the lake. Plus, you might save yourself from being cited for wreckless operation (unable to hear the siren of an approaching emergency boat).

8: Trash in the lake. Take a trash bag or other container along on each outing for collecting emptied water bottles, soda cans, plastic cups and anything else that might blow into the lake. It is bad manners to let trash escape into the watershed where it defiles SML's beauty.

9: Too many "passengers" on your PWC. Riders being towed by a PWC are included in the PWC's passenger-capacity count. Thus, a three-person craft cannot legally tow two riders with a driver and observer aboard. Though it seems a bit surprising, Virginia law does not require an observer when the craft has mirrors and the rider being towed is wearing a USCG-approved life vest. (And of course we're not about to allow anyone to ride without one, right?) Thus, you legally can tow two kids on a tube with only a driver on the PWC, but you aren't legal if you add an observer. Avoiding this one -- an oft-committed citation-producing offense on the lake -- can save a costly ticket.

10: Inconsiderate at-anchor behavior. Most homeowners understand that the entire surface of the water is for public use, and that means boaters have the right to anchor close in to swim or relax. I hear reports, however, of families on their docks being subjected to boisterous children, family arguments, loud music and offensive language from boaters just offshore. This is a bit like bringing an RV into a quiet cul-de-sac and setting up camp adjacent to someone's curb: while it may be a public-use road, it's no place to air the family laundry. Remember that sound travels easily across water and tone down noise that others might find irritating. The same guideline, by the way, applies to people on their docks.