Letter: Boat speed limit is a safety success
It's a sign of the coming of spring when the shrink wrap protective covers (lower left) come off the boats and final touches of repair work takes place. David Evans who works at West Shore Marina in Huntington was repairing the rub rail on a 42 foot Viking sport fishing boat on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 that is expected to be launched into the water next week. In the background is a Proline 29.5 power boat. Credit: Newsday/Kathy Kmonicek
I’m mystified that Newsday included the Town of Huntington’s boating speed restrictions in a list of “proposals that failed” in a graphic accompanying the story, “Boats to display weight limit” [News, Sept. 5].
Imposing a 5-mph speed limit in town waters during events that attract large numbers of boaters proved so effective when it was first tried for the Huntington Lighthouse Music Festival in 2012 that it has been implemented twice yearly since then: on July 4 for various fireworks displays and for the music festival on Labor Day weekend. Partners in boating safety enforcement, including the Coast Guard and the Suffolk County Police Department, as well as the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society, agree that the gathering and dispersing of boats have been more orderly because of the reduced speed.
Huntington has been at the forefront in introducing and implementing boating safety measures, including offering additional boating safety courses with local boating and yachting clubs and stepping up enforcement of laws. The results in the past four years indicate that contrary to the Newsday characterization, these measures can be classified as a success.
Mark Cuthbertson, Huntington
Editor’s note: The writer is a Huntington councilman who has sponsored boating safety legislation.
