I wasn't raised very well by my dad. I badgered him unmercifully for a few years until he finally bought a small runabout for my brother and I to have for water skiing on our small lake. I was only about 12 years old and he just turned us loose with the key to the boat. I did not have much training or instruction that I can remember. We had been playing around on small boats long enough and we could swim, I guess he figured. Those were different days when 10 year olds got a .22 rifle for a birthday present, I think. We had no authorities on our lake so I basically made up the rules myself, which meant that I didn't really follow any rules when boating. That was all well and good until much later in life when I kept my ski boat on Lake Hopatcong, where State Police patrols all over the lake. It took a while to break me from my bad habits and law-breaking activities. For a few years, I collected tickets for a variety of infractions, including, speeding away from my dock within 100' of shoreline, speeding away from the dock after sunset (it was dusk, and not quite dark enough for me to notice the blue flashing lights when he had somebody else pulled over
), water skiing in a restricted area at the wrong time, water skiing without that ridiculous orange flag flying. There was another for a private matter in the middle of the night that should be left un-discussed
(our lights were not on). Sheeesh, I thought, all these freaking rules!
The last straw was getting busted for water skiing without an observer. We were in the habit, just Sue and I, to get out early and water ski in our secluded cove, as many people do on Lake Hopatcong. The problem is that it's just Sue and me. Sue's driving and I had just hopped off the boat with my ski and was waiting for her to pull the slack out when State Police turned the corner into our cove. I yell at her to wait a second, but sure enough they circle over to give us a ticket. I wasn't skiing, I was just treading water, I complained. That argument didn't fly, as much as I think that I was technically in the right.
It really wasn't State Police that busted me from my bad behavior. It was Sue, who gave me unholy hell over all the freaking tickets we kept getting. We weren't obtaining drinking violations, and we had all the proper necessities on board. We did recognize one or two of the cops from a previous incident, and I suppose they got to know me and my boat
but there never seemed to be any hard feelings.
I've never been stopped at random, and have never attracted any attention on our sailboat, even when the registration stickers have expired. I don't know what it is about me ... my new registration stickers stay in the glove box of my car for at least a month after the old registration stickers have expired. I only think about it when I see a CG boat in the area.