Something New for Boaters at West Neck

Call me a killjoy if you want, but after I detailed some of the hazards of trying to launch boats in as little as 1.5 feet of water there at West Neck, the marina manager, Steve Winfree, applied this strip of pink paint to the bulkhead. It's a warning to boaters that they should not try to launch fiberglass boats when the water level is any lower than 2 feet on the measuring stick, which also is on the same bulkhead.

There's nothing new about this policy. Steve's predecessor, Dewey Mullins, often secured the ramp to all boat traffic when the water level was extremely low. On more than one occasion, Dewey told me not to try and launch my boat, and that's with knowing I had been patronizing West Neck since 1977. And I'm certain at least some of the boaters I and others have watched launching this past week weren't even born yet in 1977.

When for whatever reason people fail to police themselves, it becomes necessary for responsible management to do it for them, and that's exactly what Steve has done with this warning paint.