Just When I Thought It Couldn't Possibly Get Any Worse...

What am I talking about? In short, it's the abuse of the "no wake" zone down in the area of Pungo Ferry.

You see, I just found out yesterday that bigger trouble is waiting in the wings. Seems a local group of recreational boaters and fishermen has filed a petition to lift ALL "no wake" signs from the Pungo Ferry area. That's the word from Sgt. B. K. Ricardo, who supervises the Virginia Beach Police Marine Patrol.

That's right, they (the people in this local group) want to make the current "racetrack conditions" that exist down there even worse. They're not satisfied those big-a**ed, multi-million-dollar yacht owners and their paid accomplices (contracted drivers) get to be the only ones who can--and regularly do--thumb their noses at the signs. They want to join in the fray, making an already difficult situation even worse.

I therefore suggest, if the aforementioned group's petition should be granted, that particular area of the North Landing River will become nothing short of pandemonium, raising the potential for accidents. After all, only a certain number of "brainless wonders" can occupy the same area simultaneously without all hell breaking loose.

I've only become aware of what's happening down there in the vicinity of Pungo Ferry in the last couple of weeks, when I started fishing the oxbow at the mouth of Albright's (or Alton's, as some prefer) Creek. It was hard to keep my concentration on the fishing, what with yacht after yacht plowing through the "no wake" zone on step, sending giant rollers to both sides. "What's going on here?" I wondered.

My subsequent phone discussion with Sgt. Ricardo yesterday indicated that he already has signaled his non-support of the proposed petition to remove all "no wake" signs. And he said he knows the City of Virginia Beach likely also will be a "no" vote, based on the remaining plans they have in store yet for the Pungo Ferry facility. While he sounded optimistic that the petition likely would be voted down, he cautioned against taking it for granted.

Take just a moment and consider the chaos that could be unleashed by allowing unbridled speed through the Pungo Ferry area of North Landing River. Imagine the gruesome mess EMTs might have to deal with if two or more speeding craft were to crash at the bridge. Go ahead and tell me it won't happen, but where are the guarantees?

The indisputable fact--and therefore, the only one that should be considered--in this discussion is simple: "No wake" zones are designed for the protection of everyone and everything. Why would anyone with any common sense whatsoever want to eliminate such a safeguard? Let's keep the blatant irresponsibility confined to the White House and Congress.

Another Part of This Discussion

Not to be forgotten in any discussion of people who blow off local "no wake" zones are jet-skiers. Had a note a couple days ago from my kayaker friend, Ron, who filed this report of his experience with one down at the Blackwater Trading Post launch ramp (which also lies in a "no wake" zone):

"This jet-skier really got my goat. I had the yak three-quarters of the way in the water at the ramp, finishing my loadout, when he screamed in close from the west (posted as 'no wake' all the way to headwaters), throwing a big wake. I had to grab and lift up the yak's stern to protect it from damage and/or getting pulled out, off the ramp. Thankfully, I wasn't parking at the time, or it could have been really bad for my unattended kayak.

"I get it, they can't read," he continued. "Maybe the signs need to be pictures (make that VERY LARGE pictures, Ron, 'cause they may be blind, too). I don't expect these problems on a weekday, and I certainly don't need them. One thing I never will do, though, is to initiate a confrontation. This day and age, ya never know who is packing and may be under the influence. Rather, I just shake my head and give a frown of disapproval."