Wake Wise on Weslemkoon

Long gone are the days when everyone used tin boats for their primary mode of transport on the lake. Larger, and faster boats are now the norm, which makes getting across the lake in a rainstorm or windy day soooo much easier (and safer!), but which unfortunately can have negative impacts on our shorelines and wildlife. 

During the spring time it is really important to be wake wise while in channels, or between islands as our Loons are nesting on low lying locations. Boat wash can easily swamp the nests and drown baby loons. Summer months are also particularly important times to be vigilant about maintaining low speeds while close to shore and in channels. Baby loons emerge from the nests during this time and are at peril of being swamped by boat wake. Wakes can also be dangerous for canoeists, kayakers and paddle boarders.

Please familiarize yourself with how to properly trim your boat to minimize the time you spend transitioning between displacement and planing speed, as each boat reaches planing speed differently. Properly trimming your boat will optimize your efficiency, and reduce wake. Remember that your boat will behave differently when loaded with guests and gear, while pulling a tube, as compared to just a few passengers. Check out the video below to help understand trim techniques. 

For those of us who love tubing, skiing, wakeboarding, and jet skiing we can minimize our impact by keeping to the middle of the lake while enjoying these activities. As an added bonus the natural waves in the middle of the lake make for a much more exiting ride. Check out this great website for tips on how to Wake Responsibly.

Check out our Wake Wise Brochure - it contains lost of useful information, and a map of the "wake free" zones on the lake. These zones, which occur within 30m/100 feet of all shorelines, are highlighted in orange; please familiarize yourself with them and remember to bow down and slow down whenever you are in within any of these areas.