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Should Manatee Speed Zones be lifted?

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by YachtForums, Jun 9, 2006.

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  1. maldwin, Feb 26, 2011
    #41
    maldwin

    maldwin Senior Member

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    Location:
    Dark Harbor Me/ Hobe Sound Fl
    Idle speed no wake and slow speed minimum wake make a lot of sense to me. Greater uniformity would help. There is a no wake sign in front of our marina which applies only to boats over 30 ft. We all know what a 29 ft Sea Ray can do.

    Best,
    Maldwin
  2. NYCAP123, Feb 26, 2011
    #42
    NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Wonder if anyone ever asked if that's LOA, LWL or model length?:rolleyes: Gotta love landlubbin politicians and rule makers.:D
  3. sagharborskip, Feb 26, 2011
    #43
    sagharborskip

    sagharborskip Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2008
    Messages:
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    Location:
    Sag Harbor, NY
    As is often the case on forums the topics get hijacked, arguments ensue, tempers flare, and someone always wants the last word...

    The OP was "should manatee go slow zones be removed due to the removal of the manatee from the threatened/endangered list?".

    Does it matter whether they're threatened or endangered? Is it OK to indiscriminately kill/maim them b/c there are a lot of them and we're too impatient to tread lightly in an environment that's being attacked and infringed upon from all angles?

    South Florida is one of the most amazing places to live in the US given the number of different species both on land and in the water. Our boating careers are not just about running boats: they're a gateway to going places and seeing things that most people can not see or would not see if they couldn't get on the water.

    I captained a 55' Azimut to Nantucket from Sag Harbor a few years ago. We were delayed leaving Sag by thick fog and slowed in our progress by the fog. When we got in b/t the Elizabeth Islands and Martha's Vineyard, we came across NINE 15' Basking Sharks feeding. They couldn't be bothered and allowed us to float among them while they continued about their business (similar to manatees in that way).

    The owners glanced at them once for about 30 seconds and then said, "OK, we've seen them, let's go". Just so we could rush off at 25 knots to get to yet another dock, another restaurant, another round of cocktails. They'd been boating in that area 30 years and never seen Basking sharks...what's the rush?

    I've seen lots of manatees this season and I've seen lots of manatees with prop scars on them. They're here and we share the waterways w/ them - let's go slow.



    @CaptJ - you DO have to admit you were wrong re: the manatee being non-native (just to be fair). And the Darwin thing is just plain silly.
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