"Gfretwell" wrote in message
...
I always thought it was mandatory. Nevertheless, I always go slow...

The sign says "idle speed" but that is a relative term when you are in a
12 kt
tide.
If you were truly "idling" you would be going about 7 knots backward.

That's probably why the signs say "idle speed", not "idle RPMs".

That's probably why the signs say "idle speed", not "idle RPMs".

That sounds like an interesting argument, ever tried it on a cop?
I have never seen any enforcement at the Big Carlos bridge but I can imagine an
over zealous deputy trying to enforce "no wake" in a flood tide. (FMP/FWC does
seem smarter than that ... usually)
This bay is draining about 400 square miles of sheet flow through 4 passes.
When you have 17 inches of rain in a month that is a lot of water going under
the bridge. As I said, it was 12 knots the other day on my GPS. That was what
got me thinking about the sign. I was moving at ~3000 RPM, just to keep
headway.

Geez. At 12 knots, you could have tied a rope to the bridge, threw on a
pair of waterski's, and popped up on plane.


"Gfretwell" wrote in message
...
That's probably why the signs say "idle speed", not "idle RPMs".

That sounds like an interesting argument, ever tried it on a cop?
I have never seen any enforcement at the Big Carlos bridge but I can
imagine an
over zealous deputy trying to enforce "no wake" in a flood tide. (FMP/FWC
does
seem smarter than that ... usually)
This bay is draining about 400 square miles of sheet flow through 4
passes.
When you have 17 inches of rain in a month that is a lot of water going
under
the bridge. As I said, it was 12 knots the other day on my GPS. That was
what
got me thinking about the sign. I was moving at ~3000 RPM, just to keep
headway.

I guess it depends on the judge you get. :-) In my last two visits to local
courts, I've won minor skirmishes. And I'm not a trial lawyer, either. Just
be armed with facts.

Considering how poorly we pay Coast Guard people, you could probably buy an
expert witness in return for a gift certificate to the nearest Bennigan's.

"Gfretwell" wrote in message
...
That's probably why the signs say "idle speed", not "idle RPMs".

That sounds like an interesting argument, ever tried it on a cop?
I have never seen any enforcement at the Big Carlos bridge but I can
imagine an
over zealous deputy trying to enforce "no wake" in a flood tide. (FMP/FWC
does
seem smarter than that ... usually)
This bay is draining about 400 square miles of sheet flow through 4
passes.
When you have 17 inches of rain in a month that is a lot of water going
under
the bridge. As I said, it was 12 knots the other day on my GPS. That was
what
got me thinking about the sign. I was moving at ~3000 RPM, just to keep
headway.