Offshoreonly.com - SMLPBA Smith Mt. Lake Powerboating Assoc.

[QUOTE=Blue by You]All;

Good news is that one of the board members asked me to be involved and said they required our input. This is a good thing.

I take that back..... JOHN PARRISH is the board member who asked me to be involved...but here's a link to his recent editorial...
http://www.smithmountaineagle.com/ar...05_parrish.txt
HOW THE F are we suppose to get a fair unbiased decision made...here's the article.

What's it going to take at Lake?

To the Editor: Surprised? No! Upset? Yes! Outraged? Yes! Disgusted? Yes! Mad as hell? Yes! What am I all riled up about? I'm upset, outraged, disgusted, and mad as hell, about the tragic loss of life on Smith Mountain Lake because one of those off-shore racing boats hit and snuffed out the lives of two well known and respected residents of the Lake.

Over the past two years I have had articles published in both The Roanoke Times and the Smith Mountain Eagle expressing my concern about the safety issues associated with operation of these big, fast boats on our Lake. These boats are designed for off-shore racing in the open ocean, not on a lake where pleasure craft are also present. It was only a matter or time before such an accident would occur.

Predicting that an accident of this nature would take place sooner or later was as easy as predicting that September comes after August. I know something about the topic of boat safety as a retired U.S. Navy Captain after 30 years service and many years operating pleasure craft on lakes and in the ocean. How many times do I have to write letters of concern about these off-shore racing boats and their inherent dangers on Smith Mountain Lake?

When my last article on this topic was published earlier this year, I had 28 people personally contact me supporting my safety concerns about the off-shore racing boats. I received only one negative response and it was from the president of the Smith Mountain Lake Boating Association. He called to tell me that I had my facts wrong about these boats, and he said; "That the operators of the off-shore boats were all very experienced, safety conscience, drivers who all drove their boats in a responsible manner, and further that they all had a significant investment in their boat so they wouldn't do anything that might damage their boat."

Anyone who lives within earshot of the Lake can tell you that almost every day or night all summer long, there are off-shore racing boats roaring up and down the Lake at speeds well in excess of 50 mph in close proximity to pleasure boats filled with families. Is this safety conscience behavior? And certainly operating a boat "under the influence" in the dark of night in excess of 60 mph certainly can't be described as responsible behavior.

It's time that all of the citizens of Smith Mountain Lake, and those of you who don't live on the Lake but frequently enjoy boating on the Lake, stand up and let your voices be heard. It's time for you to contact your state representatives and your county supervisors and let them know that you are outraged by this tragic accident and that it is the "straw that broke the camels back." It's time that the vast majority of the citizens who use the Lake make their feelings known.

Up until now a small minority of people with fast racing boats or "connections" have been able to stop all legislation that would establish speed and noise restrictions on boats using the Lake. Maybe 15 years ago when there were fewer boats, fewer docks, fewer homes and fewer people on the Lake, it was safer to go anywhere on the Lake at any speed. But this Lake has grown and that is no longer the case. Let's make the Lake's speed and noise restrictions reflect today, not years ago. Let's turn this unacceptable situation around. Let's have the majority rule. Let's make Smith Mountain Lake a safe place to enjoy boating. Let's not let this tragic loss of life be in vain.

John Parrish

Smith Mountain Lake