Why pay anything at all? Are you gonna go back in 7 years?

I love it ... plaster them all over his windshield... see if he can properly navigate his car... Jack-ass.... just another example of what I call "Judicial arrogance"...He probably didn't even look at your letter... just dismissed your plea as B/S and is willing to let you pay the fine.... Check what the law is for navigable water ways and the posting of bouys.... you may have a fine point of law.... but if you win... you still lose by having to pay the fine and then contest it... Who has the energy to sue city hall? Plus the expense of flying out and the rest of the B/S.........

i was wondering about that too.
got a speeding ticket in florida years ago while on vacation. blew it off till missouri informed me they wouldnt renew my drivers license till i paid florida
didnt know they talked to each other

They have been talking for years now, they all cross lines and to make it simple there are no state lines when it comes to the DMV.

f---ing states have a little thing called "reciprocity".... that ticket will follow you where ever you go.... Next time I'm at Havasu... I'll contemplate taking bolt cutters and "liberating" those buoys from their burden of stickers and send them to "Davy Jones' locker"........ I've been unfairly ticketed by parking officers before... I know how maddening they can be.... ( now play "mission impossible" music )......

i posted my situation on another boating forum and got this very interesting reply.

"I was out ther Sunday the 28th. I saw a couple of boats getting pulled over in Thompson Bay. On Monday morning, I saw the rangers replacing the bouy with all the stickers on it. The bouy is between Thompson bay and the channel. I guess they got your message, assuming the days are correct. Go take a pic of the new bouy, it may help your case. An as I mentioned, the boat was a pontoon marked "ranger." Hopefully this helps our case. Mike"

at least they are trying to fix the problem.

yup, they are planning on YOUR $$$$ to fund the new replacements

This is BS

I know the area you speak of very well.
I have actually done the same thing as you on my first trip there back when I bought my boat.
However, I was lucky to have someone with me that knew the lake and instructed me to come off plane.

You are right, the markers are way to far apart.
I would agree about the 500 yard distance. If not MORE.
They are on total oppisite sides of the bay.
They are fine coming in from down river into Thompson bay, but if you are coming from the channel first you will NOT see the second one. Until it is too late.
Not to mention I have seen people doing this daily, I think it really is BS of the condition of the bouys.


Good luck. And about the only way I see beating this is a personal showing and arguement. Letters is hard to convey and almost impossible to get your word past their $$$$ eyes.

To be helpful instead of being a wise a$$,

The court may say something along the lines of "You needed to make yourself aware of the surrounding waters and prevailing laws before boating, that is your responsibility as a captain". The best way to fight this is to prove years of safe, legal boating. Explain that you know the differance between a NO WAKE buoy and a 5MPH buoy. That you can spot a SHAUL Buoy from a mile away and know what it represents. But to see a bout covered with stickers and debris does not serve a specific purpose other than being a "Hazard to Navigation" (That may scare the officials, after all, if someone hit the buoy at night due to its reflective properties not working because covered...ohos fault would it be?)
Explain your history of boating without fines and ability to boat in varying bodies of water with safety due to your knowledge of the USCG rules, regulations and right of passage markers.
Also, The judge may bring up "Maps" having the proper information on marker buoys. Ask the judge if the information of the map is accurate to the information on the buoy? Sure a map could read the NO WAKE zone ended at a specific buoy, but how would you recognize the buoy? Especially if it was defaced? Ask when the last map was copyrighted? And if it correlates that the NO WAKE buoy is covered with other writing.

These things should help, or get you thrown in lock up. In which case we at OSO will take up a collection to send cigarettes for you to trade for your rear virginity (Speculation)

Good luck!
MD

The court told you to pay up because they know you're in Missouri and probably wouldn't fly to Arizona to fight it.

Pay the fine then drill a hole in the buoy.