BY MAGGIE BEAMGUARD | Insider Editor
A fun day on the lake starts with a safe boat launch. Boating safety is something Andy Miller, a Seven Lakes West resident, finds himself actively promoting in the community.
An avid boater and fisherman, Miller doesn’t live on Lake Auman, so he finds himself putting in down at Johnson Point four to five times a week where he says he has seen it all.
“You know, some of the stuff I’ve seen down there, and the tomfoolery and the shenanigans — you know, basically I’ve seen several marriages come to an abrupt end at the Point,” Miller wisecracked.
His concerns were shared by members of the Lake Committee. Together, they channeled their passion for safety into an opportunity for boaters to learn some best practices for trailering and launching boats, neighbor to neighbor.
They recently offered a trailering class as a way for boaters to share knowledge and experience in a fun, easygoing format. The class, sponsored by the Lake Committee, took place on the morning of June 5 and was organized by Shane Flint, Adam Sannanuiti, Denny Penrod, Ray Hoffman, James Christy, Chris Mace and Steve Short, in addition to Miller.
A lack of etiquette awareness is the biggest issue Miller and others noticed.
“There are in excess of 750 or 800 lots that are not at the lakefront, which means 750 to 800 people could conceivably need to use the boat ramp at any given time without knowing the proper etiquette or without applying the proper etiquette,” Miller said. “It can basically cut down ramp usage by 50 percent when half of the ramp is shut down because someone tied their boat right there after pulling it off the trailer instead of moving it to the outside dock. People park right in front of the ramp, keeping folks from being able to straighten out, etcetera.”
Miller does not attribute the issues to any kind of malicious behavior, but rather a lack of awareness.
The other big issue is poor safety practices. “People show up and don’t necessarily know how to hook up their trailer properly. It’s not so much an issue once they get their boat in, but as they’re moving it from their homes or storage it does become a pretty substantial issue.”
In the event that someone has an issue, they not only endanger themselves but others around them. So not only could an incident shut down the ramp, it could result in serious injuries.
“I’ve been around some pretty gruesome boat injuries in my day,” Miller says. “Let’s say that just about everything required a tourniquet. So it’s not pretty. There are so many kids down there, and things could just go so wrong so quickly on a boat.”
Miller’s knowledge and experience come from a lifetime of boating beginning with his childhood on the water in Florida.
For novice and experienced boaters alike, Miller has one piece of advice.
“Know what you don’t know. If you don’t know something, don’t be afraid to ask someone. If you see someone else who knows what they’re doing, don’t be afraid to pick their brain.
“I don’t know a single resident within Seven Lakes that would tell you to get bent if asked for help on trailering, launching or recovering their boat. Because it’s in the best interest of the entire community if you know how to do those things proficiently.”
Slowing down and thinking through logistics also creates safety awareness.
“If everyone could just ask themselves before they put that boat in the water, ‘what could happen?’ And if everyone could look at all of those potential failure points and talk through some contingencies, I think we probably catch about 50 percent of potential issues on our own just using common sense.”
The Coast Guard is an additional resource for safety guidance, but Miller said the easiest way for someone to get help is to just ask someone with experience and to practice.
“I like to say all the time — if you’re in the water trying to yank your boat with a rope up onto your trailer, you’re doing it wrong,” he said. “You can go buy a boat, but the seller doesn’t have the time to teach all the nuances of trailering and launching your boat. You are going to need to practice on your own on a Tuesday night when no one else is launching their boat, not on Saturday at one o’clock.”
Miller hopes there will be more opportunities for neighbors to learn from one another. The Lake Committee is looking at offering another class in mid-July. If anyone needs additional help or has direct questions, Miller or anyone else affiliated with the effort can be contacted through the Seven Lakes West office or through the Volunteer Lake Patrol.
Contact Maggie Beamguard at maggie@thepilot.com.
