Major Victory Today - Against Speed Limits In Nj!!!
 

Today, myself as well as several dozen NJPPC members, along with members of the marine trade and offshore racing scene ventured to the NJ State Police HQ for the NJ Boating Regulation Commission Meeting.

Chairman Roger Brown started the meeting by announcing that the Commission WILL NOT RECOMMEND SPEED LIMITS FOR INLAND TIDAL NJ WATERS!! After a nice round of applause, Mr. Brown continued to say that it was due to the huge out cry of phonecalls, letters to the editors, emails, etc..... as well as the INABILITY TO ENFORCE such a regulation. He stated that they will recommend to Sen. Ciesla to create a Bill requiring all boaters (power & sail) to be required to take and pass a Safe Boating Course. This will become the "Safe Boating Bill". He also stated that they will look to expand some no wake zones in a few critical areas. Official "Licensing" will not take place.

Mr. Willie DeCamp of Save Barnegat Bay spoke during the "discussion period" of the meeting and did a wonderful job of making an absolute ass out of himself. He called Poker Runners LAW BREAKERS and was totally appalled by the fact that we get the State Police to escort us during our events. He said this means that the State Police condone the LAW BREAKERS! Well.....needless to say he was shouted out at this point (he also made friends with the State Police that were present as well..hahaha) The only nice thing Willie DeCamp did was come over and shake my hand after the meeting and congratulate us on our victory. (it must have killed him!)

So - is the fight over? Absolutely NOT!

We're about 80% on our way to total victory. A few things we need to follow up on over the next 4-8 weeks.
1) Confirm the verbiage of the Safe Boating Bill when it is presented to the Assembly
2) Make sure that Bill #A3003 is recalled and shelved
3) Make sure that the Slow Speed No Wake areas are adequate but not ridiculous
4) Make sure that Sen. Smith and Assemblyman Moran do not put forward a Bill of their own that could include speed limits.
5) I have a meeting setup for this Friday with Patti Applegate. She is the Commodore of the Barnegat Bay Yacht Racing Association. This Association is consists of 13 sailing clubs. We have agreed to sit down and review each other's schedules for this summer and discuss how we can live together on the bay without interfering with each other. Setting up a line of communication with this organization will be huge!!

Lastly - A big thank you to everyone in NJPPC, on OSO and in the Marine Trade that took the time to make your voice and opinion known. This is living proof that the environmentalists do not have a free reign on imposing their will on others!!!

It would also be a nice gesture to email Mr. Roger Brown and thank him for listening to our side and making a decision based on the facts we presented. His email is:[email protected]

We hope to see everyone at the Atlantic City Boatshow Feb 5-9 for a little Celebration!!!

YAY !

YAAAAhoo !!!!
You just made my day a little better !:D

I just sent my thank you to the man also .......

Good Job Dave!!!!!

Remember, We can't stop here!!! It was a great meeting yesterday, but we need to dig in for the long haul on this one.

You can can the newspaper articles here: SPEED UPDATES CLICK HERE

Thank you to all that showed up yesterday including the Jersey Anglers. ;)

Congrats

Dave,good to see everyone,you and the guy's(and ladies) did a great job,CONGRATS! Smitty and I are looking foward to meeting with you,Thanks again...Regards Augie

Way to go! Keep it up.

From the 1/9/3 Asbury Park Press
 

"As a sailor, I think we can be as arrogant and rude and disruptive as some of the powerboaters who don't know the rules," (Fred) Slack said. "I think it's about fairness. Power-boaters and sailboaters have to live together."

Impressive that DaveP and the NJPPC could elicit that kind of response. Shows what a good, organized, diplomatic effort can do. Great job, guys - keep it up.

Way To Go!
 

..let's raise a glass for Dave & all the folks on the front line for us!!

thanks all....

Marty
:D

Good job guys!

Congratulations to Dave and the NJPPC for taking a strong stand on this issue and organizing a well thought out plan. This will set a precedent for any other state which may be considering speed limits. Its amazing what can be accomplished with a unified "Voice". It also shows "class" to be willing to meet with sailing organizations to discuss ideas and schedules.
Congratulations again!
BOB G.

Congratulations guys!

I know you've all put a ton of effort, research and time into accomplishing this. The win is well deserved and a testiment to what can be achieved with a well organized and sound-minded rebuttal to current events affecting our lives. I wish continued sucess in your efforts. This is a win for all of us all over the country. :cool:

Thanks guys!

Want to read a funny one? Go to Willie DeCamp's site : http://www.savebarnegatbay.org/ and read what he has to say! Sounds like sour grapes to me :p :p

Mr. DeCamp has a house on the water within a few hundred yards of the Mantoloking Bridge.

I think it might be appropriate to have a raft up in his yard memorial day weekend in his honor! Hummmm let's see...remember the last episode of the Sopranos with Dean Martin blaring from the "Stugots"? hehehehehehe

Ok...maybe we won't and we'll be more professonal than that. But it sure would be a hell of alot of fun!!

Or we could make his house a card stop for the Barnegat Bay Poker Run? Maybe Mr. Babbio's and Mr. DeCamp's houses could be card stops??? Hummmmmmmmm:eureka: :eureka:

Here is some of Willie's testimony from yesterday:

"A crisis on our waters surely exists when the public is forced to observe the spectacle of the New Jersey Marine Police providing an escort for high speed "Poker Runs", many of whose participants are, beyond any rational contradiction, in blatant violation of New Jersey’s noise regulations. That our Marine Police should be in the business of escorting scofflaws – rather than enforcing the laws of the State of New Jersey – is a disgrace and an insult to the law-abiding boating public"

Go to http://www.savebarnegatbay.org/news_78.shtml to see all of testimony from yesterday.

What a clown :D :D

Great job Dave........But a word of caution.......never get caught gloating...especially on a public website........SBB has eyes too....and they do have a committed constituency.

This is an issue of continually taking the high road and finding a middle ground which is, at best, a moving target. The plain facts are that the boat population on Barnegat Bay gets heavier each year, and this is surely only the beginning.

Sadly, at some point it will be moot. If the boat traffic numbers continue to rise unabaited, there will be no room to go fast.

T2x............ready to lobby for a sportfisherman wake size limit;)

Congrats! Nice to see the good guys win one for a change :cool:

Dave,ask Frank C. for the picture in which we renamed my boat (with Frank's help) to Stugots, I already have the CD of Dean Martin from that show and as you know I would have NO PROBLEM connecting very large speakers to the boat stereo and doing what we gotta do!

YOU GOTTA DO IT!:D

The Commission received an overwhelming quantity of letters in favor of a speed limit, which it ignored. The crowd at the Trenton meeting, however, was overwhelmingly opposed to a speed limit, as the . Only a spokesman for Save Barnegat Bay and a small handful of others expressed support. :rolleyes:
New Jersey Performance Powerboat Club turned out impressively and in force:DIn a statement indicative of the overall mood of the meeting, the Mayor of Mantoloking reversed his previous support for a speed limit.:D :D :D

Hey Augie
 

You mean this one? I added a new twist a BIG STERIO:D

Frankie..your a nut! That's about the greatest photo of my boat..THANK YOU!!!!

Frankie...Please get me a picture.

Frankie,I hit the wrong button(I THINK) and your e-mail message whatever was gone and I don't know how to get it back but my e-mail for photos???? is [email protected]..Thank You...Augie

Just sent a thank you note to Mr. Brown.

Thanks everyone.

Augie Did you get the Pics? :D

Not yet...all the letters have to be small according to my office staff??????? I should really take a class to really know hoe to work this [email protected] for all your trouble Frank!

Got them Frank,thank you very much!!! Augie

Great job to all involved. This can impact everyone everywhere. It can begin in one state and spread across the nation. I lived in SW Florida and know how a small group of manatee "speed bumps"huggers can screw up boating.

Dave P.,I sent you a CD,let me know what you think!