The Lake in 2012

It’s chilly outside, but Lake Norman safety and law enforcement organizations are already heating up plans for the boating season. And getting those boaters through the year without any fatalities or serious incidents is their primary focus.

Improving the lake’s Aids to Navigation is a big part of that, said Ron Shoultz, chairman of the Lake Norman Marine Commission.

“It’s quite a task to maintain our current navigational system, because it’s a large body of water,” he said. “That is where the lion’s share of our budget goes because it’s a tremendous aid to all boaters and we want to keep it up to the best of our ability.”

He said that getting more community involvement in the marine commission – which has representatives from the four counties that border the lake – is critical to effectively address safety and other issues on the lake.

“We’re working on getting a few more committees going in areas we think have a need for more involvement and when we get more details on those, we will update the community,” he said. “We invite all Lake Norman residents to actively participate in the marine commission and learn more about what we do.”

Lieutenant Todd Carver with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said his department’s on-lake focus during the boating season is always on safety – but more and more, officers are getting complaints about “No wake” zone violations.

“Our biggest complaint by far is wake zone violations, with people coming in closer (to docks and piers) than 150 feet at greater than wake speed,” he said. “Last year, we had to arrest a number of people who caused property damage with their wakes.”

BWI, or boating while intoxicated, is the next biggest headache for law enforcement officers.

“More often than not, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission catches the BWIs; they’re kind of like the Highway Patrol of the lake,” Carver said. “but we get complaints and we respond.”

Being aware of the boating laws and expectations on the lake would cut down on some of the calls, officers say.

“Some people don’t know you’re not supposed to jet-ski or inner tube an hour before sunset,” Carver said. “As far as I know, no jet-ski has lights on it anywhere, so boaters can’t see you as the sun goes down.

“I’ve seen parents pulling their kids on inner tubes at 9 or 10 at night and it makes me shake my head. How would you know if your child fell off and how would you begin to find them? Boat props are pretty unforgiving and people can get hurt.”

One example of the latter, he said, was an accident last June when a Charlotte woman was seriously injured by a propeller when a rental boat backed into her during a party on the lake.

Unlike other boat operators age 26 and under, people who drive rental boats are not required to pass a boater safety class.

Bob Yannacci, the education officer of the Lake Norman Sail & Power Squadron, said last last week that due to that incident, law enforcement officers are “likely to be taking a closer look at vessel operators this year to make sure that they are in compliance with current state boating laws,” and announced its 2012 schedule of boater safety classes.

"We expect to see many more students sent to us as a result of citations handed out by those officers along with all persons under the age of 26 who are required to take the course," Yannacci said in the squadron’s newsletter.

“We’re trying to get as many people as possible to attend a boater’s safety course,” said Iredell’s Carver. “Not only is it required for anyone 25 and under, but it’s just good common sense.”

Carver said the Sheriff’s Office usually sees at least one death per season in Iredell waters, with the chief cause being alcohol or the inability to swim. “People try to go beyond their abilities and if you can’t swim, please don’t go anywhere without a life jacket,” he pleaded.

Westport Marina owners Anne and Lowry Hobbs say the growing rental business has them optimistic “that the economy is turning around.”

“We’ve been very busy planning for the spring season and I believe in the upcoming year, we will see an increase in rentals,” said Anne Hobbs. “We’ve already purchased a few new 2012 pontoon boats in anticipation of the continuing growth. We wanted to be proactive and make sure we had a fleet ready to rent.”

She said they believe that with new people moving to the area with the job expansion at companies like Freightliner and Chiquita, as well as visitors here for the Democratic National Convention, the lake will be hopping this summer.

“People who live and travel here want to experience and enjoy the lake,” she said. “We are cautiously optimistic on what’s to come. We’ve seen some signs of improvement in the economy, so we’re preparing for that. It’s not going to be a quick turnaround, but there is improvement.”