I really enjoyed and appreciate Jerry Hale's article in the Aug. 15 edition of Laker Weekly on "boating boo-boos." I must admit that occasionally I have had dangling fenders, but with his comments, I have now added that to the items to check prior to leaving dock.

I believe that most of the infractions that I see on the lake are a lack of knowledge of lake etiquette/Virginia laws and probably not intended to make the people on shore mad. Of course, there are exceptions to this.

I have always thought it would be great to have an 8 ¹₂-by-11 tri-folded sheet with the proper etiquette on how to use the lake that could be distributed around the lake. Hale's suggestions were a great start.

One of my pet peeves is to be sitting on the dock and have fishermen throwing lures at the dock while you are trying to relax -- not breaking the law, but certainly rude. I also think that boaters would respond better to etiquette rather than laws.

Hopefully, we can do something about this within the near future. Lake-etiquette suggestions could be put on paper placemats at casual restaurants and folks could read while they are waiting for their meal.

Patsy Smith
Moneta

Ignorance of the law is no excuse

I am responding to the "SML Trap" letter in the Aug. 15, 2008 edition of Laker Weekly.

It is unfortunate that the visitor's day was ruined by an encounter with a law enforcement officer on the lake. However, this person referenced the problem that many enjoy the lake have: novice users of a craft on the water without any knowledge of the safety rules and laws.

The owner of the PWC did not know that the fire extinguisher had been removed? It is not the owner's responsibility to know that the craft meets requirements and that the person using it knows the rules?

My guess is that Officer Funkhouser would have preferred being home with his family and friends on a beautiful summer Sunday, but instead was out trying to make sure that persons on the lake had a safe day. The reference to "getting an end-of-the-month quote" is a slap in the face to someone trying to do their job.

The bottom line is: When you are wrong, you are wrong, whether you know you are doing wrong or not. That is when you take your medicine like a grownup, and be thankful that someone is looking out for your safety.

Joan Seifred
Moneta