HOME
» RECREATION
» BOATING »
THE FIRST TIME BOATER 
The
Lakes Region of New Hampshire is a boaters dream come true. Lake
Winnipesaukee is the largest Lake in the state, with seventy two square
miles of clear blue water set against a backdrop of rolling hills and
mountains. For all it's splendor, Winnipesaukee is not the only
paradise in town, it's just one of about two hundred and seventy
three. Lake Winnisquam is the states third largest lake, and it
offers a charm all its own. It's less busy than Lake
Winnipesaukee, although almost all lakes in the area will fall into this
category at times. During holidays, events, or just plain old nice days,
parts of Winnipesaukee can get fairly boat congested. For example, the Weirs Channel,
which connects Paugus Bay to the big lake, is essentially a narrow two
lane road. If you've never driven a
boat before, taking your first run through the channel during the fourth of July may be a
pretty stressful experience.
Even if you know you
should start off on a smaller and quieter lake, the lure can
sometime be overpowering. Lake Winnipesaukee is broken up by hundreds of
islands of every size and shape, scattered around at random. If
you want to meander around and explore, or lounge in a quiet cove, this is your
lake. However, with such a uniquely shaped
lake, it's easy to become quite disoriented and navigation for a new boater
can be quite a challenge if you don't have a chart, or have one but are
not sure how to fully interpret and get the most out of it. Bizer
currently offers what many consider to be the best chart of Lake
Winnipesaukee and you should have one on board at all times.
For those who will be renting
a boat, you must have a NH safe boating certificate or hold a hold a NASBLA
approved certificate from another state if renting a boat with a motor in excess
of 25 horsepower. If you don't have a certificate, the place you're
renting from will probably administer a quick exam on site to obtain a 14-day
Temporary Certificate. Boat rental fleets are limited, so you should
definitely call ahead to discuss your needs and make sure everything is in
order.
Never venture out onto the
lake unprepared. Like all lakes, Lake Winnipesaukee has its shallows and areas with
rocks hidden just beneath the service. GPS is always helpful, and
so is a friend who can act as a spotter when in uncertain waters. It's important
to know the current lake level, which has a seasonal fluctuation of as much as
three feet, and your boats draft. This is particularly important to keep
in mind when passing under some of the lakes notoriously low bridges.
Overall, nearly all areas of concern
are marked on maps and noted by buoys. You should use caution, though,
some buoys can become victims and get dragged to different locations
during the spring when the ice is thawing and shifting. Often the
marine patrol notices this and corrects the problem, but sometimes it
slips by.
Many new boaters come back
saying that the lake is deceptively large. From the shore at many points
around the lake, you can only observe a small section of the lake. You
can't see much from Meredith, or the Weirs, and only a long narrow
sliver from Alton.
In summary, the Lakes
Region and Lake Winnipesaukee offer what many feel to best the best
boating in the state. If you take to the lake, be sure to bring a
spare tank of gas...you may find yourself lingering out on the lake a
lot longer than you were expecting. Time spent on Winnipesaukee
goes by so fast it's kind of eerie. And as always, before you head
out, be sure to check the weather. Summer thunderstorms are common
toward the far northwestern corner of the lake and they can really ruin
your day.
This article touches upon
some of the basic or common things we've observed, and is in no complete.
