Winnipesaukee has been quiet under grey skies and cool temps

Regardless of how others measure or describe it, David Barrett, New Hampshire’s Director of Safety Services uses only one word to describe this summer on Lake Winnipesaukee and he spells it with capital letters — SLOW!

Boat registrations are certainly one indicator. In normal years when the weather is good most of the time and there isn’t an economic downturn, boat registrations statewide average about 100,000. There were only 96,000 last year.

Until a week ago, 2009 boat registrations were running about 4,000 to 4,500 ahead of last year, but in the last two to two and a half weeks, the numbers have gone the other way, Barrett reported. He did say, however, that it’s difficult to get solid counts throughout the season because the municipal clerks and marina agents who issue registrations do not always report at the same time.

The Division of Safety Services, which is headquartered on the Glendale Docks in Gilford, is part of the N.H. Department of Safety. The Marine Patrol Bureau, Inland Water Moorings Program, Boating Education Program, and the Tramway and Amusement Ride Safety Bureau are all within the jurisdiction of the Safety Services Division. Given that array of agency responsibilities, Barrett and his staff are on the front lines of interacting with a significant portion of the Granite State’s visitor traffic.

According to Barrett, calls to the Marine Patrol Bureau were down 20-percent last year from the year before. “I won't be a bit surprised if this years’ numbers aren't down again,” he said.

If the number of calls was the only way to measure the Marine Patrol’s workload, the agency might not have escaped the personnel cutbacks experienced by other state agencies in the recently completed budget battles.

There are 975 water bodies of more than 10-acres across the state. The largest is Lake Winnipesaukee with 44,586 square acres and approximately 240 miles of shoreline. While Barrett would not say just how many Marine Patrol officers are on the lake at any point during a given day or week, he suggests there is a minimum number required to provide adequate coverage regardless of the amount of boat traffic. In addition, many of the officers with assignments on the lakes are seasonal.

He also notes that the Marine Patrol is responsible for New Hampshire’s seacoast. While it may be only 20 miles from Massachusetts to Maine, there are 158 miles of seacoast shoreline when Great Bay and all of the estuaries are included in that calculation. Officers assigned to those areas generally work year-round.

“Since there are no general fund revenues supporting the work of the Marine Patrol, it is not as sensitive to potential cutbacks as other agencies may be. Our funding comes from the Navigation Safety Fund. That fund is derived from boat registration fees. Because we are not funded from general revenues, we escape some of the shortfalls that affect other agencies. We still have to justify what we are spending those dollars for, just like other agencies,” he commented.

“We also receive some funding from the US Coast Guard’s Wallop-Breaux Aquatic Trust Fund. That fund is apportioned out to all 50 states. Its revenues come from the federal gasoline tax, and distribution is based upon each state’s boat registrations as a percentage of the nationwide total.”

“In short,’ Barrett said, “our funding is based on a 'user pays, user benefits' proposition.”

This is the first year for enforcement of the speed limit on the ‘big lake’. Barrett says his Marine Patrol officers have issued a few warnings but no violation citations. He attributes the nominal enforcement numbers to cloudy skies and chilly temperatures out on the water. “There just has not been the traffic we normally experience when the weather is better than what we have been experiencing this year,” he commented. “Enforcement — issuing citations for violations — is also a matter of being in the right place at the right time.”

NH Revised Statutes Annotation Chapter 270-D: 2 X and XI is the speed limit law. It stipulates 25 mph as the maximum speed from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise and sets the speed limit for all other times at 45 mph.

The law also provides that no person shall operate a vessel at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under existing conditions and without regard for the actual and potential hazards then existing. In all cases, the law provides, speed must be controlled so the operator will be able to avoid endangering or colliding with any person, vessel, object or shore.

Barrett believes the Marine Patrol’s effort to educate Winnipesaukee’s boaters about the speed limit law seems to have helped. Boaters and those thinking about boating can’t help but see the 12 by 18-inch aluminum signs posted at all of the town and other public docks in every town around the lake. More than two dozen plastic signs have been posted at marine dealers and accommodation owners with access to the lake for their customers. In addition, marine dealers, yacht clubs, restaurants and a number of commercial establishments that cater to boaters have been given color copies of the speed limit rules.

“The bureau recently purchased two more radar units. That brings the total number to six. Four are the laser type, and two are the older Doppler style. All of the officers assigned to Winnipesaukee have been trained and certified in the use of the equipment,” Barrett said. He also emphasized that education is a big part of the enforcement effort.

Noting that the speed limit law will "sunset" in two years, Barrett suggests there may be a lack of data on how effective it has been. To that end, he has suggested to the proponents of the law that an extension of the expiration date might be a good idea.

“In the meantime,” he said, “the Marine Patrol will continue to do its job of promoting boating safety on Lake Winnipesaukee and across the state.”