by the Cazenovia Lake Association
The Cazenovia Lake Association (CLA) is excited to introduce a new monthly column in the Republican dedicated to lake topics. We hope to keep the community better informed and cover a wide variety of issues such as overall lake health, control of invasive species, fisheries, runoff into the lake and lake access, to name a few.
The recent serious injury from a boat running over a swimmer on Skaneateles Lake made us decide to make the focus of this month’s column boater safety. With increased awareness of the rules of boater safety and some common sense, injuries like the one in Skaneateles and the ones we hear and read about every summer can be avoided. The following are some of the topics and areas of concern that we have heard about this year.
Recent years have seen a significant increase in the use of paddleboards and kayaks. These watercraft are small and difficult to see. Paddleboard operators often swim off the board and, at times, a considerable distance from the board. Motor boaters are encouraged to keep a careful eye out for these watercraft and their operators.
Paddleboard operators should remain aware of their surroundings, and stay close to their craft when swimming in high-traffic areas. The U.S. Coast Guard now requires operators of kayaks and paddleboards to have a personal flotation device (PFD) on board.
Jet skis continue to pose risks on the water. They are fast, agile and difficult to see. It is all too tempting for operators to want to jump boat wakes and use the speed to increase enjoyment. Unfortunately, this also increases risk to the operator and other boaters, and impacts property owners. Operators of jet skis are required to wear a PFD, and are asked to maintain a respectful distance from other watercraft and shore.
We frequently hear about problems produced from boats travelling too close to the shore. This is of course potentially dangerous to swimmers, but in addition wakes from motorboats cause property erosion and can damage docked boats. Motorboats travelling at slow to medium speeds often produce much larger wakes than boats that have come to a plane at higher speeds. Please maintain a respectful distance from shore. The recommended distance is 100 feet and when you are within this zone the speed limit 5 mph.
Last year the CLA, in collaboration with the village, made possible acquiring a new lake patrol boat. This larger boat is more visible than the previous patrol boat and is better equipped to provide water rescue. The village is also committed to staffing the boat and has trained additional patrol personnel and increased the number of patrols. The main goal of the police has not been punitive but rather to educate and increase awareness about these and other safety issues.
We encourage all boaters to take advantage of boater safety courses, be sure to have an appropriate number of PFDs on your watercraft and enjoy our beautiful lake responsibly.
