The Pender Harbour Advisory Council (PHAC), in partnership with the Harbour Authority of Pender Harbour, is initiating a safe boating program, which will focus on buoys, signage, and moorage agreements to encourage boaters to slow down and reduce their wake.
According to Robin Millar, chair of the Harbour Authority of Pender Harbour, excessive speed and large wakes seem to be on the increase in Pender Harbour.
“Excessive speed is a safety hazard for small water craft, like kayaks and dinghies, which are hard to see in certain conditions; personal injury could result,” Millar said. “Large wakes cause serious damage to docks, gangways, electrical and water systems through wave action. Large waves can also cause serious injury to people. You are legally responsible for your wake.”
The voluntary program will have two components:
• Language already incorporated in the Harbour Authority’s moorage agreement, which encourages boaters to operate at a safe speed for the conditions and limit their wake production. All marinas will be encouraged to add this or similar language to their Moorage Agreements.
• Signs and buoys which are to be installed at the entrance to Pender Harbour and at the many marinas and docks in the Harbour calling on boaters to slow down, and watch their wake.
Steve Luchkow, president of the Pender Harbour Advisory Council, said the council expects the signs and buoys to be fully installed by the spring, making the harbour a safer place for the 2016 boating season.
“This demonstrates one more way that the community has expressed concern about a problem and we have been able to work with other partners to make the Harbour a better place for all,” Luchkow said.
The installation of the buoys is sponsored by the Harbour Authority of Pender Harbour (providing the buoys) and Garden Bay Marine (the mooring and installation). The value of this part of the project is about $5,000. Individual marina and dock owners will be invited to purchase signs and decals to post in marinas and on docks in the Harbour. Order forms for the signs and decal can be found at www.penderharbouradvisorycouncil.com
The Pender Harbour Advisory Council is a volunteer organization that exists to support the vitality of the communities of the Pender Harbour area as excellent places to live, work and play for residents and visitors.
