No wake zone

Anchor Management

Anchor Management

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Up on the Hudson, there is a marina that was built with no sea wall and they put up a sign "No Wake" on shore This is a commercial shipping waterway and highly doubt the barges slow down. As we pass by we stay as far away as possible but maintain speed (1/4 mile or so) and these guys in the marina yell over the radio at every boat that goes by. I always try to be a courteous to others as possible but find this ridiculous that they think they can control a waterway like this. IMHO this is not a situation where you are responsible for your own wake as they choose to put their vessels in harms way. Thoughts?
 
Can't say about NY, but in FL, the only enforceable signs are those marked with a Florida Statutes reference. So from that standpoint, you are not bound (at least in FL) by this home-made No Wake Zone.

But, we're responsible for our wake, universally.
 
If it's a true marina and not just someone's personal illegal dock, I would do my best to provide no wake. I wouldn't worry about anyone else, including barges, as that's not my business. The water cops will patrol if they receive enough VALID complaints from people. End of story and I wouldn't think about it any longer.
 
Agree on trying to avoid but not on universal " you are responsible for your own wake" others must do everything reasonable to protect from your wake. Putting a marina in a spot that is a commercial shipping lane with NO sea wall in my opinion is not reasonable and is foolish. If that was the case, I could anchor out just outside a shipping lane and hang a sign "no wake" and everyone would have to slow. Makes no sense to me.
 
Responsible for your own wake is a joke at my former marina. Politics preclude an official zone. Boats get slammed there all the time. The local water police do nothing.
 
First, you need to find out if this is a "real" no-wake zone Contact the authorities and ask.

If it's not, you can ignore their radio calls, turn off the radio or respond by telling them (and everyone listening)that their signs are fake and it's not a real no wake zone.

I actually had a guy from a marina down river from mine jump in a boat and run out and intercept me, yelling about my wake. I did some research and found out that the no wake zone was only the first hundred yards from the marina. I confirmed this with the DNR, then called the marina manager and gave him a piece of my mind.

He denied that this was someone from his marina but we had watched the guy run out of the dry stack building and jump in the boat.

Anyhow, it hasn't happened since.
 
I think we were more then a 1/4 mile away. He did more then yell o. The radio he is a little crazy!
 
If it was at New Hamburgh just barely north or Wappinger creek than it has happened to us a few times over the 20+ years we have been going up/down the Hudson. As you pointed out we are always putting diamond reef to our east and hugging the west coast there giving about a full 1/4 mile between us and any of the docks but they often call and make a huge ruckus. One year about 3 or 4 season back a county sheriff pulled up next to us about 1 mile after we passed their docks and asked up to slow down - we spoke for a few minutes while idling along side one another about their no wake complaint - they had just called the sheriff (Dutchess county maybe? , cannot remember) . The gist of the conversation was him (two of them) asking us what happened and us explaining that we gave as much room as possible but did not come off plane. They more or less said think you and that there was nothing they could or would do just that these folks make a bunch of complaints and appear to think they are in law enforcement.

Hope this helps
 
This one is just south of Poughkeepsie marina. Guy is a real jerk and harasses everyone going bye. You would think if he is that stressed out, he would move to another marina. Life is too short.
 
Well, an interesting return trip as well. About a mile away we get the call that this is a no wake zone and reduce our speed. We said nothing but did slow but maintained plane and took as wide as we could. About a half mile. I then radioed and told him that in fact this is not a recognized no wake but to be courteous we reduced speed and took it wide. He radioed back that we are responsible for our own wake and we tipped stuff in his fridge and we are responsible. We said nothing and continued on. If we are rocking his marina from a half mile doing 15 knots, they need to close that place down.
 
We passed other marinas closer without an issue at all! Most marina have common sense and install a seawall to protect the boats, this marina seems to have made the choice not to install a wall but to man the VHF and harass boaters. I checked the radar and I was a more then a 1/4 mile for sure but less the a half mile but a 1/4 mile is a long way for someone to scream at people for boating in the channel.
 
I have passed there and were cursed at over the radio. They are not boaters just wanna be LE's. The plywood sign they have is not a legal no-wake zone. It is just as if I placed a no parking sign by my house. The police should be monitoring them for unprofessional behavior.
 
"This one is just south of Poughkeepsie marina."

Sounds like the same place a few miles south of Mills Norrie state park and marina and on the eastern bank right after a bend while traveling north. I remember that many of their slips are oriented so that the boats beam faces the length of the river inviting a larger rolling motion even with a one foot wave or less.

Glad you had good weather - always like Kingston area as a trip destination.
 
quote:
Originally posted by smitty477

"This one is just south of Poughkeepsie marina."

Sounds like the same place a few miles south of Mills Norrie state park and marina and on the eastern bank right after a bend while traveling north. I remember that many of their slips are oriented so that the boats beam faces the length of the river inviting a larger rolling motion even with a one foot wave or less.

Click to expand...


Correct most of the boats are tied to a main with little to no protection, you couldn't pay me to dock there. They built a marina with no protection and then decided to yell at every boat that goes by as if this is going to help. I don't know what they were thinking?
 
My dock/slip is on a well traveled waterway adjacent to the channel not in a no wake zone. As I was building it the engineers and others kept saying to petition for a No wake zone. My reply was ,no, I dont like No wake zones as much as the next guy, plus many won`t obey the zone anyway. The slip needs to be built big enough so the boat can be secured with long scope lines and ride it out w/o hitting anything. Do i get a little miffed when someone goes by at full tilt 20 ft away when the channel is at least 1/4 mile wide, yep, repeat offenders will eventually get the one finger salute, but anybody that simply goes wide on plane gets a friendly wave. The boat has been riding it out for six years now and doesn`t have a scratch.
 
Is it a marina employee or owner making these radio calls or just a disgruntled boater?

You know you don't have to answer the radio.
 
Eastern Bank...if it's north of the big gravel plant, it's Pirate Canoe Club.

I do my best to zig-zag across the river to avoid places but do not normally come off plane. I was up there this weekend and stopped by Rogers Point Marina which has the same issue. The guys there were very casual about it saying they don't have wind that other places have because the river is narrow but they do have current and wakes from the barges.

The only time I came off plane was just north of Newburgh the marina with all the moorings. It really stretches out into the river. There were kids in sail boats and a few chase boats, looked like a sailing school so I gave them a break.

Once passing Marlboro someone radioed and was very nice...I replied "no problem, since you asked politely" and came off plane for him.

I agree 100% with your sentiments. I'm sure the USCG wouldn't establish a no-wake zone there due to barge traffic.

FWIW - a fellow boater, new to the area came into Rondout Creek not realizing it was no wake the whole way and was boarded by the Sheriff...they take that no wake zone seriously, as they should.
 
The NYS Navigation Law sets forth where no wake zones can be located. I believe the local municipality has to pass a law for it to be enforceable.

We had a problem with the high speed ferries during "leafer season". I called NY Waterway and asked them to slow down from HM to Stony Point light. They agreed to do so and we don't have any issues any more.
 
quote:
Originally posted by rawidman

Is it a marina employee or owner making these radio calls or just a disgruntled boater?

You know you don't have to answer the radio.

Click to expand...


On the way up, we did not respond but since the guy who had the problem was up in Roundout the next day and got very hostile and threatening with one of our boaters. I felt it was appropriate to say something on the way back. I didn't see the encounter as I was kayaking and that is probably for the best. So I'm Pretty sure it's the boat owners. They are nasty threatening people that quite frankly deserve what they get. If they radioed and asked nicely, I would imagine they would get a better response out of other boaters. I lost no sleep over this and since I pass maybe once a year I cant be bothered doing anything about it. If I was a regular through there I would have a different perspective.
 
It's a touchy situation all around.
While most pleasure boats are too small to qualify for the actual "you're responsible for your wake" rule, it doesn't exempt them from their responsibility to operate their boat in a safe mannner as to avoid the potential for injury or damage to others, and to take in to account the presence of other boats when determining what is a safe speed.
The responsibility to operate your vessel safely exists whether or not there is a no wake sign.
Although there are exceptiions, I think many no wake zones exist to protect the shoreline or environment rather than boats or egos anyway.
Docking your boat in a place with no protection that is exposed to a well traveled waterway is risky at best. If you aren't able to get it in a wide enough slip to avoid it bouncing off of things, or object to the bouncing, then you probably made the wrong choice for a marina.
Personally, I boat for pleasure, am not usually in a big rush, and generally don't mind slowing down to avoid swamping anchored boats, docked boats, people fishing, etc.. My feeling is that as long as everyone is having fun, following the few rules that exist, and not creating a dangerous situation, then the best course of action is courtesy.
The same goes for the owners of the docked boats. They should be courteous too, and accept the fact that the river and it's traffic were there long before they decided to dock their boats in that marina, and they should have known what they were getting in to.
 
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