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§1704 Speeds: <br /> A. Maximum Speed for watercraft is"Slow,No Wake"(Headway Speed): <br /> l. during the period from one(I)hour after sunset to one(1)hour before sunrise, in <br /> any area of any fresh water waterway. <br /> 2. in posted areas <br /> 3, within one hundred fifty(150')feet of: <br /> (a) shore <br /> (b) bathers(also see Swim area) <br /> (c) vessels propelled by means other than machinery <br /> (d) vessels not underway(for example moored or anchored) <br /> (e) commercial docking or mooring areas <br /> (f) private docking or mooring areas <br /> As I assessed these reports and bylaws I took a break to clean my beach and saw an elderly neighbor on <br /> his beach reading a book and I asked him about the article. He had no idea it was being brought up, <br /> laughed and stated—and I quote, "In the 80s this place was a zoo and this Labor Day Weekend was a <br /> non-event!". He also stated that the problem "back in the day" was that there was a jet ski rental place <br /> in Falmouth closer to the boat ramp. Although I do not expect others to be influenced by my"hearsay", <br /> I did reach out to the Town Hall to get information on frequency and trends in jet ski complaint calls and <br /> have not yet received a call back. I expect the trend data may support the above hearsay and suggest <br /> that the Selectmen request this data this as part of their information gathering and sharing. <br /> Jet Ski Safety- I personally do not know of any jet ski incident on Ashumet Pond except for a neighbor <br /> getting a warning for not having her registration sticker on her jet ski(it was registered). I DO personally <br /> know of the positive impacts of jet skis. I recently watched a jet ski arrive to the aid of an overturned <br /> catamaran. The jet ski is the safest type of watercraft to approach a vessel or swimmer as it does not <br /> have an external rotating propeller. I have also seen jet skiers behave as "first responders"to check on <br /> boaters that are drifting or children who are drifting out deep on floats, paddleboards or kayaks. <br /> Further,the jet skis of the 1980s, as originally designed were ridden in a standing position. Over the <br /> years jet skis have since been called wave runners with the main difference being their operation in the <br /> seated position and provides multiple seats. See the differences in the figure below. This seated jet ski <br /> ensures the rider does not easily fall off of the jet ski, and also, all jet skis now come with an attachment <br /> to the user which automatically turns off the jet ski should the driver fall off or become removed from <br /> operation and would leave the jet ski to circle in place. I have never seen this happen on Ashumet Pond. <br /> Additional information on the history of the Personal Watercraft(PWC) and improvements in safety, <br /> noise, and water quality can be found in the attached file from the PWC Industry Association (PWCIA). <br /> 8 <br />