Regarding the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources’ wake boat petition, I wish to share my Minnesota experiences. I live on Christmas Lake, a 264-acre lake outside of Minneapolis. Twelve surf boats are permanently on the lake and others occasionally launch for the day.
Wake surfing became a polarizing issue on Christmas Lake, as it has on many small lakes, because you can’t really avoid the safety issues for others who want to use the lake at the same time.
I’ve had waves crash over the bow of our pontoon boat and been tossed around when trying to paddleboard; I know that it’s useless to try to water ski when one or more surf boats are operating. Of greatest concern, we had a near-fatal accident between a boat — nose up in the air with a surfer behind — crashing into a two-person kayak.
Some lakes are just too small for this kind of activity, and I am extremely pleased that Vermont is recognizing the need for a minimum surf zone size in the proposed regulation.
That said, I need to express my concern that wake surfing 500 feet from shore, proposed by the ANR, still leaves one heck of a wave hitting the shore and doing damage. Consequently, I encourage ANR Secretary Julie Moore to give serious consideration to implementing the 1,000-foot distance proposed in the original March 2022 ANR petition.
The boats and their waves are only getting larger and more powerful.
Joe Shneider
Christmas Lake
Shorewood, Minnesota
