PSA Holland 5-16

[Far Beyond Driven]

Sheriff in the channel thinks 3.8 mph in a 14' boat displacing 550# is too fast.

[Playin Hooky]

When I worked a sheriff boat in Cheboygan county we never trolled more than 2.4-2.7 in the channel this time of year.

That's pushing the limits of making a contact per hour. Verbal warning or did he ticket you?

[Far Beyond Driven]

Verbal warning. I would not have let it go farther.

I'm sure the 50' that went out thus morning put up more wake than I did.

[SeaCatMich]

I am often amazed by how much wake a lot of the cruiser type boats create and think that it qualifies as "no wake". I am also dumbfounded at why there are "no wake" zones in many places -- such as the Holland channel -- when waves are often 1'+. Nature's wakes are okay, but boat wakes are not. How about a 5 mph limit instead?

[Playin Hooky]

"Minimum speed needed to maintain control of the vessel" is how it read back in the day. Don't know if that has changed...but that rule was certainly subject to interpretation.

[Far Beyond Driven]

I can troll backwards at 0.3 mph and maintain control. I'll do that labor day and see how long it takes to get their attention.

One time there was about a three mph current coming into Holland and a huge west wind. After the sailboat races they came back in under full sail. Some were going 11-12 mph, but with displacement hulls, no wake. We were trying to troll out and practically standing still. It was pretty impressive seeing them rip past.

[Far Beyond Driven]

Oh, that said 4/5 this morning.

12" brown alphonse little devil 50' off a yellow bird

12" brown f11 back gold rapala same as above

6# lake run brown magnum mongoose stinger one color

Lost a good rip on a gold red thin fish

12" brown on a j-11 blue rapala

Let two of the little guys go but one was hooked hard.

Odd as four hits were on the outermost boards. Maybe they were boat shy? Big one cane 30' from the boat and yanked the board under like a bobber...

[Gnarf]

I got the verbal warning today too. I usually keep at 5 knots. Never been a problem before.

[1mainiac]

No gear in the water my boat idles at 6mph. Riggers divers bags and planer boards out 1.8.

[Nailer]

The cops in the Holland Channel are dicks.

There where 5' rollers crashing into the channel coming straight from the SW.

We had Jon's boat just about laying on it side coming into the channel.

Cop pull us over for going over no wake into the Channel.

[N II Deep]

on the other hand, we watched a disturbed boater power hard away from the Holland DNR launch this weekend.

with a simple yell to slow down he proceeded to flip me off and then call me names.

I invited him back to the dock to further discuss his cranial-anal inversion, he kept going at over no wake speed. the sheriff boat was just around the corner and Karma took its course....

I hope he did get a ticket.

and if you are on this site - I hope you enjoyed it....