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Wilson Lakes Neighborhood Association
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Boating Safety Guidelines As summer is upon us, it is good to review boating safety guidelines, especially with our children and guests, who may not have as many years of safe boating experience as we do. Here you will find information on boating safety, as well as boating courses and boating regulations, along with government websites on the subject. General: 1. There is a gentlemen's agreement on Lake Wilson that boat traffic should go around the lake in a counter-clockwise direction to avoid the probability of head on collisions. 2. The canal at the southeast end of the lake is very narrow, so for the benefit of the property owners along its banks, please observe a NO WAKE ZONE in the canals. This will help with erosion and prevent damage to the boats tied up in the canal. There are also still a couple of stumps underwater near the middle of the entrance to that canal which will catch the prop of a powerboat. (Some of us know exactly where they are and how deep they are.) 3. If a diver's flag (orange with white diagonal stripe) is out, it means someone is underwater within 100 feet of that flag in a congested area like our lake. Please stay far away from it with all powered boats or jet skis. 4. Keep a close lookout at all times for other watercraft and swimmers. 5. Maintain a safe speed based on your boat, your own ability, other traffic on the lake and the water conditions. 6. Use common sense and courtesy at all times. Jet Skiers: 1. Do not follow skiers or other watercraft so close that if a skier falls, you could hit him, or if the boat suddenly stops or turns you might hit it. 2. Do not go too close to the ends of docks as kids may be swimming or jumping off the end of the docks, or fishing lines may be out. Leave a safe and courteous margin. 3. Avoid shallow water as it damages the environment and sucks weeds and sediment into your water pump. Water skiing (tubing, wake boarding, etc.): 1. The driver of a boat or jet ski pulling a skier should stay far enough away from the ends of docks so that if the skier goes all the way out to the side of the boat, he would not hit a dock if he fell. (If your rope is 75 feet long, stay about 90 feet away from the docks.) 2. Use an observer or a wide-angle mirror. 3. When a skier falls, he should hold his ski or wake board up in the air and stay upright in the water so other boats can see and avoid him, and so his driver knows he is ok. Some skiers lay back in the water when they fall and become invisible to other boaters. Government Regulations: 1. A person 21 years old or younger must have completed a Boater's Safety Course and have a Boater Safety ID card in order to operate any vessel of 10 hp or greater. 2. A person must be at least 14 years old to operate a jet ski and have a Boater Safety ID card. 3. A life jacket must be worn by everyone on a jet ski, by anyone (such as water skiers) being towed by any water craft and by all children 6 years old and under in any vessel. 4. While our lakes do not have public access, the boating regulations do apply and are enforceable. 5. Additional boating regulations and safety information are available from the Florida Marine Patrol's Website at www.floridaconservation.org or by calling the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Boating Safety Section in Tallahassee at 1-850-488-5600. The Boating Safety Course is available free by calling the Florida Marine Patrol at (813) 272-2516. You can also take the boating safety class online for $24.50 at www.boat-ed.com/fl. Note that you can scroll through the online course for free up to point of the final exam. It is recommended that parents sit through the Boating Safety Course with their kids so they can help reinforce the safety factors. A video is also available to order online. When friends come over to visit, please ensure they are aware of the safety practices on your lake.
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