SPEED LIMITS?

SHARKEYMARINE · Nov 10, 2002

Letter from NJPPC: In the last few letters from the club we've communicated that a small but powerful boating regulatory committee was attempting to establish a 30 MPH speed limit on all New Jersey tidal waters. We asked for letters from the NJPPC membership and other interested boaters. While I'm pleased to say that we delivered about 30 letters to the committee on Wednesday - we're going to need your continued help to fight the fight to preserve our favorite form of recreation. Nine NJPPC members and about 20 other concerned boaters attended the committee's public meeting on Wednesday. The bottom line is that our worst suspicions and speculations are most likely true with regard to the intent of the speed limit. The committee chairman made it very clear that "high-speed boats" were the focus of the speed limit and yes - there is unfortunately a sailboat versus powerboat element at work here. The speed limit is much less about promoting safer boating for all boaters then it is about addressing complaints made against high performance boaters (and perhaps power boaters in general for that matter). Despite the fact that we provided statistics showing that speed had very little relation to boating fatalities and that education is universally embraced as the best approach for improving safety, the chairman seems very intent on establishing speed limits to achieve his agenda. The committee has not done their homework - they have not studied where accidents have occurred or where boating violations have been written up. Unfortunately, they are reluctant to spend the time to make an informed assessment and then come up with a reasonable course of action. They believe that a "one size fits all" statewide speed limit is appropriate and they want to implement this in very short order. The idea that a statewide mandate could be made without proper information, evaluation and due diligence is very scary indeed. And I'm sure it would have been well on its way if we didn't intercede on Wednesday! On the positive side, there was visible dissent among the committee members after hearing the view point of NJPPC, the NJ Marine Manufacturers Association and a few well-spoken individuals. I think we gave them many a reason to pause and reconsider if they really want to proceed ahead with a controversial speed limit when they have no supporting research and much opposition ahead. The chairman seemed committed however to restricting our performance boating, including Poker Runs, through speed limits. His intent was very clear and it's unlikely that he will back down unless we forge a strong, POLITICALLY based opposition. Please contact your local representative and the key elected officials involved in boating safety initiatives listed below. Call them up, send a letter, send a fax, email - do whatever you can do to derail the speed limits being set by the five-person committee who were not elected. Tell your representative that the committee chairman is subverting a needed boating safety initiative by acting upon an anti-performance boat sentiment rather then addressing the real problems that can significantly improve safety on the water. Tell your representative that you want your voice heard and to consider the impact that this will have on the region's economy if thousands of power boaters decide to go to friendlier waters. Ask your representative to immediately look into this far-reaching mandate. NJPPC will continue to attend the public meetings and to argue our case but we aren't going to be able to make speed limits go away without your help to rally the needed political opposition. Join the fight today! We'll continue to keep you informed. Key New Jersey Representatives to contact (besides your local representatives) ASSEMBLYMAN JEFFREY W. MORAN (Republican-9TH District) Heading Assembly Panel On Safe Boating 620 W. Lacey Road Forked River, N.J. 08731 Phone Number: (609) 693-6700 Fax: 693-2469 Assemblyman Robert J. Smith, II (D) (Assistant Majority Whip) DISTRICT OFFICE ADDRESS: 110-F Greentree Road Turnersville, NJ 08012 PHONE NUMBER: (856) 232-6700 Assemblyman James W. Holzapfel (R) DISTRICT OFFICE ADDRESS: 852 Highway 70 Brick, NJ 08724 PHONE NUMBER: (732) 840-9028 E-MAIL ADDRESS AsmHolzapfel@njleg.org Assemblyman Albio Sires (D)(Speaker) DISTRICT OFFICE ADDRESS: 303 58th Street, West New York, NJ 07093 PHONE NUMBER: (201) 854-0900

SHARKEYMARINE · Nov 14, 2002

Re: SPEED LIMITS?

SMALL VICTORY We won part of the battle so far - but we still have a long way to go! We need to continue the fight against speed limits in the Metedeconk & Toms River waterways! Thanks again to everyone who submitted letters! Boating panel debating speed limits Published in the Asbury Park Press 11/14/02Seven-day summer limit of 30 mph being considered By TRACY ROBINSON and KIRK MOORESTAFF WRITERSA proposal to reduce boat speeds in specific inland waterways has critics arguing that regulators are either forcing boaters to pull the throttle back too far, or are not going far enough to set even slower limits. "We kind of backed down on regulating speed in all of the tidal waters," said Roger K. Brown, chairman of the state's Boat Regulation Commission yesterday. The commission is an advisory board to the state attorney general.Instead of the proposed blanket speed limit of 30 miles per hour on all tidal waterways during summer weekends, Brown said, changes could include setting a speed limit of 35 miles per hour only in congested areas such as the Toms and Metedeconk rivers. As on land, boat speeds can be enforced with radar. But critics note that State Police have discussed the difficulty of enforcing speed limits on the water. Brown expects such changes to be discussed at the commission's public meeting 10 a.m. Jan. 8, at New Jersey State Police headquarters in West Trenton.The changes are due to "very vigorous" opposition to the blanket speed limit at the Nov. 6 commission meeting at the Raritan Yacht Club in Perth Amboy, Brown said.Most of the approximately 30 people in attendance spoke out against such widespread speed limits, said commission member Gerald Nelson, 57, Long Branch. Boaters opposed to speed limits include Charles Amorosi, of the New Jersey Power Boat Performance Club. Amorosi, 59, a Dover Township resident who owns a 36-foot Spectre catamaran, says a 35 mph limit won't be appropriate for all power vessels.Amorosi echoes statements made by other boaters, that at slow speeds some high-performance boats can not get on a plane -- meaning their hulls won't be riding over the waves. At such speeds the bow of a performance boat may ride at a higher angle, blocking the captain's view ahead, he said.Brown contends that slower speeds and increased safety go hand in hand, yet club members contend that out of all the 2002 boating deaths, just four involved performance boats at excessive speeds: a May accident when a Hazlet man was ejected from his speedboat in Raritan Bay, and a June accident off Sea Isle City, where three brothers were killed when their high-speed catamaran flipped in heavy seas. On the other end of the spectrum is William deCamp Jr. of the environmental group Save Barnegat Bay.DeCamp's group has advocated the more strict, 30 mph speed limit seven days a week from May 1 to Oct. 31 on specific waterways."What is worth protecting on weekends must surely be worth protecting on weekdays as well," deCamp said.DeCamp made other arguments for week-long speed limits: reducing noise levels from boat engines, and less turbidity, the stirring of sediment by boat propellers.Currently, there are no speed limits in tidal waters except for in specific no-wake zones.Nelson said he doubts if the commission will get new regulations in place in time for this summer.Although Brown said the commission was not ramming any new regulations "down anybody's throat," he expects a vote on new restrictions by the 10 a.m. March 5, meeting at the National Guard Militia Museum Museum in Sea Girt.Before the restrictions can take effect, the commission must accept how it was drafted by the Attorney General's office and allow a 60-day public hearing period, he said.A call by some to require all recreational boaters be licensed or certified is not something the commission can impose, Brown said. That idea will be passed to state Sen. Andrew R. Ciesla, R-Ocean, he said. Licensing boat operators -- and boat speed limits -- is also high on the agenda of the state Assembly task force on boating safety, which has been discussing potential amendments to state boating laws.The task force will receive public comment at its meeting 2 p.m. tomorrow in Camden at the Rutgers University campus center.

SHARKEYMARINE · Nov 17, 2002

Re: SPEED LIMITS?

Safety test for state's boaters discussed at panel meeting Published in the Asbury Park Press 11/16/02By KIRK MOORE STAFF WRITERCAMDEN -- The possibility of requiring boat operators in New Jersey to pass a safety test -- regardless of their age or boating experience -- emerged as the main theme at a public hearing before an Assembly task force on boating safety. "There's no reason why mandatory licensing and education should not be required," said David Patnaude, president of the New Jersey Performance Powerboat Association, at yesterday's hearing. A proposal for 30 to 40 mph speed limits on coastal bays is misguided, because it may actually make it harder to safely maneuver high-performance speedboats, Patnaude told the panel of legislators meeting at Rutgers University here. Since state boating laws were last changed in 1996, safety education has been required for two classes of boat operators: Anyone riding personal watercraft and operators of motor boats who were born after Dec. 31, 1978.That age limit was a compromise with recreational boaters who have traditionally resisted licensing. Assemblyman Jeffrey W. Moran, R-Ocean - an avid boater himself - said that was a mistake by the Legislature."There are days I go out there (on Barnegat Bay) and I turn around and come back," he said.During debate on the 1996 legislation, Moran said he thought: "We're not talking about a 35-year-old guy with a 25-foot boat. And these are the guys who are running me down."To receive safe boating certification in New Jersey, operators must complete an eight-hour instructional course, including a 50-question examination that requires 70 percent of the questions to be answered correctly, said State Police Trooper Jeff Andrus."It is comprehensive," he said, but "it is critical that all of the course material is covered."State police are continuing an investigation of one private boat safety instruction firm that is suspected of letting its students slide on some of its course material.Mandatory safety certification for boaters of all ages is advocated by Rosemary Decker, whose husband, Thomas, was one of three fishermen killed when a 60-foot motor yacht ran over his 20-foot boat off Beach Haven in October 2000.Decker appeared at yesterday's hearing with Charles Hartley, 79, her husband's friend and sole survivor of the crash. Yacht owner Barry M. Flowers, 63, is serving a six-month jail term after pleading guilty in September."The captain (Flowers) of that boat was making a claim we crossed in front of him," Hartley told the panel. "No. We were there for almost a minute."Assemblyman Robert J. Smith, D-Gloucester, chairman of the task force, asked Hartley to describe contributing factors to the accident."Speed," Hartley replied. "And there was no one at the controls. I was hoping he would make a slight turn to the left, or a slight turn to the right, or pull back on the throttles. But nothing happened. He wasn't there. "Speed limits, as proposed by the state Boat Regulation Commission, would not have prevented that accident, nor the June 2002 capsizing of a performance boat off Sea Isle City that killed three brothers, said Patnaude, a Dover Township marine dealer and owner of a 37-foot performance boat.If the Legislature or boat commission propose rule changes, "they need to base it on facts," Patnaude said.And one fact to consider is the way performance boats ride at lower speeds, when their bows and long forward decks can rise up out of the water and make it hard for the helmsman to see what is in front of the boat, he warned."At 35 mph, the bow of my vessel has such an aggressive pitch that I would not be able to see over the bow if I wasn't 6 foot 7," Patnaude said.Any speed limit would be difficult for state police to enforce, because fiberglass boat hulls don't easily reflect police radar, Patnaude said, noting his club has experience trying to measure speeds at its own events. Commission Chairman Roger K. Brown of Brick suggested his group and the Assembly panel meet over the coming months to discuss how they might coordinate their ideas for changing boat laws.Despite the warnings of powerboaters, Moran said he thinks "we've got to talk about speed limits. Unless we get off the dime and do something, it's just going to get worse."Brown has said the commission is now more inclined to consider speed limits only for specific areas of coastal bays and rivers. But William deCamp Jr., president of the environmental group Save Barnegat Bay, urged a baywide 30 mph speed limit.Accident statistics alone 'don't really describe the situation because some people won't go out there."Fear has taken them off the water," deCamp said.

SHARKEYMARINE · Nov 18, 2002

Re: SPEED LIMITS?

To Whom It May Concern: As you saw in the recently e-mailed "Asbury Park Press" article, NJPPC attended the NJ Assembly boating safety task force meeting on Friday Nov. 15. In summary, there has been some positive developments for NJPPC performance powerboaters but we still have our share of obstacles ahead. First the good news: 1. The non-elected Boat Regulation Committee will now be working with (under!! the Assembly Task Force. The Assembly will need to follow proper protocols for enacting safety measures. Fact finding, due process and indeed "fair play" are now expected moving forward. 2. The Boat Regulation Committee will soon have another member, John Shanohan, who has a much more balanced and comprehensive view point regarding safety issues. John represents the NJ Marine Trade Association and is also very strong proponent of boating education. We look to John to help make the Boat Regulation Committee more responsive to the interests of all New Jersey boaters. 3. Eighty percent of the meeting was devoted to boater education and the idea of certification or licensing. Little time was devoted to discussing speed limits. 4. The limited discussion around the need for universal speed limits was not convincing and in fact the Assembly men seemed to draw the conclusion that speed limits would be nearly impossible to enforce given the ineffectiveness of radar on boat hulls and the Marine Police's limited resources. Unlike the Boat Regulation Committee, they need to also consider the practical aspects of what they carry forward. 5. We fully expect that mandatory boating education will be required for all boat operators. While no one likes to be told that they need to go to class to operate a boat - it's a small inconvenience considering it will yield safer boating for all boaters alike. Licensing may also be required. Once again an inconvenience but it will help keep the actual violators accountable for their actions instead of holding the entire performance boat community liable for the misdeeds of individuals. We saw real strides toward promoting boating safety for all boaters. Despite that speed limits have been repositioned as a less desirable safety measure, they are still with us and most likely will be implemented to SOME degree. That degree depends on all of our continued efforts. Now the less positive news. 1. Someone or some group was trying to portray the Flowers accident at the meeting as being SPEED related. Through questions and perhaps inadvertent testimony, the sole survivor finally indicated that no one was operating the 60' boat at the time of the accident. His first statement was that high speed (24 knots! caused the accident. 2. Boat Regulation Committee Chairman, Roger Brown, has realized that the speed limit on all NJ tidal waters was too broad so he announced that he's now considering only the Barnegat Bay area (the epicenter of New Jersey performance boating!. We still have a fight ahead for our home waters which could escape the purview of the State Task force if we aren't diligent. Some speed limits are likely. 3. The "Save Barnegat Bay Association" continue to be very involved in promoting the 30 MPH speed limit (except 7 x 24 x 365 days) and boating safety is only a secondary consideration. The association indicated that they have 1,200 members - they also have good political connections. We can not underestimate this group's impact. While our respective opinions differ, they have the same passion for their cause as we have for ours, they have been around longer and they have more people then we have. They most likely will get a some "bone" or concession from their involvement. The size of the "bone" will be influenced by our competing efforts. Conclusion: The playing field has now been leveled and the political process should now be in affect for everyone. We need to continue to voice our opinions to the elected officials on the boating safety issue. Rest assured, the Save the Barnegat Bay folks and sailing clubs are doing the same for their respective viewpoints. Remember education, licensing and enforcement of the current laws are the best roads to SAFETY - not unenforceable speed limits! Don't let our opposition change the issue from safety to their special interests. Thanks for your help, NJPPC

sloopy · Nov 18, 2002

Re: SPEED LIMITS?

i think a 10mph rule for the high performace boats and a 40 mph rule for the ski and fun boats would be better? who here even likes the sound of a high speed performace boat ruining a family outing? there should also be a thing in there about sound.... but there is not

sloopy · Nov 18, 2002

Re: SPEED LIMITS?

sorry but as a sailor, high performce boats are nice targets for me with a paint ball gun whyle sailing in a no wake zone. even the officer on the lake knows I shoot boats that fly into the zone.. he just buys paintballs! NO JOKE! that way it he gives tickets to the ones who have the most paint on them.!

SHARKEYMARINE · Nov 24, 2002

Re: SPEED LIMITS?

Sloopy, We already have laws on the books regarding speed & noise. They just need to be enforced. I just feel we need a more of an EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM. We have people out there that have the $$$ but no knowledge about the "Rules of the Road" nor the use and handling of their boats. They need an education....... I have built a page on my site to keep up with the updates on this new law....

SHARKEYMARINE · Dec 5, 2002

Re: SPEED LIMITS?

Latest update: 12-06-02

KennyKenCan · Dec 6, 2002

Re: SPEED LIMITS?

All this sounds like to me is the NJ State Government writing legislation in order to generate money and line their pockets with more taxpayer dollars. Education is the first step needed, not more LAWS! THIS USED TO BE A FREE COUNTRY !! How about writing laws that punish these money-hungry lawmakers, such as deportation to Somolia or something, for even suggesting these ridiculous laws, but we all know they will not, because its their pockets that would be affected. What about the rights of high-performance power boaters. We have a right to use our vessels anyway we deem fit, within what is safe for all on the body of water they are navigating, that is where education comes into play. So come on NJ law-makers, stop looking to collect money from the people who voted you into that position and listen to what they have to say and stop ramming laws down our throats. These suggestions to the lawmakers were probobly proposed by a first time or part-time boater who has most likely logged less than 10 hours out on the water.

SHARKEYMARINE · Feb 24, 2003

Re: SPEED LIMITS?

Sail boaters exempt from having to take a safety course??? Safety Education Law

SHARKEYMARINE · Mar 6, 2003

Re: SPEED LIMITS?

Anyone using the Manasquan, Metedeconk, Toms River and portions of the Barnegat Bay better get ready to lobby!!! The commission has decided to blanket all these areas as SLOW SPEED NO WAKE ZONES!!! This is exactly the opposite of what they stated in the their meeting in January. They dropped the proposed Speed Limit idea only to turn around and try to make everything a Slow Speed No Wake Zone!!! This just proves even more that this is all about Sailboats getting to have the waterways for themselves... I have created a SPEED UPDATE page on my site to keep everyone informed. If this is the first you heard of the Speed Limit proposal, be sure to click onto the archives to see what has been happening. Please spread the word to everyone this will effect: Marina and Restuarant owners at the end of these rivers, Fishing boats, Performance boats, Jet Skis, WaveRunners, Waterskiers, Sail boats etc. If this goes through, then it will only expand to other areas in the state. Thank you for your support. SPEED UPDATES PAGE

magster65 · Mar 6, 2003

Re: SPEED LIMITS?

We here in BC have speed limits or horsepower restrictions on the popular lakes. Here the rowers are taking over, not the sailors. There is a time and place for high performance boats and a busy beach and/or waters are not it. Don't get me wrong, I love 'em and I think they sound great. We're lucky here, we have the ocean amongst the gulf islands and it's usually mild. It's the perfect place for them. Hey SLOOP... A paintball gun is considered a weapon (look it up) and you just admitted using it to fire on another vessel. You and your police officer pal should be charged accordingly and part of your sentence should be anger management classes. You shot at people because they went too fast somewhere near you. Not everyone will put up with that, I know what I'd do if someone shot at me... it wouldn't be pleasant.

SPEED LIMITS?

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