No Spotter Ticket

[UWSkier]

20 minutes ago, justgary said:

Having never seen a ski flag in use, what exactly is the protocol, and what is it meant to do?  How often does someone forget to wave (or quit waving) a flag, and does it end terribly? 

Honestly, this seems like some archaic thing dreamed up by non-boating lawyer after a couple of drunk dudes ran over his child back in the '50s.

Any time skier is in the water and not actively in tow or being propelled, a flag must be displayed. This includes people just swimming off the boat I believe. There's a flag in my boat because we have a flagger law. It's been used maybe 5 times. It's very silly. 

[isellacuras]

5 hours ago, UWSkier said:

Any time skier is in the water and not actively in tow or being propelled, a flag must be displayed. This includes people just swimming off the boat I believe. There's a flag in my boat because we have a flagger law. It's been used maybe 5 times. It's very silly. 

I just discussed this with the water LEO last time out.  He called it a “rider down flag” and said it doesn’t need to be flown while just swimming next to the boat although it’s prolly not a bad idea to do. We often ride without a spotter in the off season (we call it poaching) and my buddies and I have a bro code. If we get a ticket, we split it. Yet to be stopped tho. Knock on wood. 

[robtr8]

Missouri is an "or" state, ski flag needed after 11am.

At 6am on the course we keep it handy incase one of the anglers gets too close.

At 10am when I go to work on WP, we stop boaters for driving around with the flag up 100% of the time, stuck to the boat, while tubing.

Of course we talk to the boaters not using the flag either.  No fine, just an opportunity to explain how the ski flag works.

Dad driving the pontoon without an observer or a mirror, 5 kids on tubes, 1/2 the time looking back, 1/2 the time looking forward.  He gets the full treatment.

[hethj7]

We have a flag buddy mounted right by the driver.  Pretty easy to swing the flag up and down.  
 

It is often just my wife and I riding with the mirror and rear view camera, but usually when the lake is relatively empty.  
 

During busier times we have a spotter but also just choose to shut it down if too many boats are out.  
 

@robtr8  What lake are you usually assigned to?   Thanks for helping keep us all safe out there!
 

 

[Ingineer66]

The skier flag is for when a skier or rope is in the water getting ready to ski or picking up a skier.  According to the boat sherif, you actually shouldn’t fly it when just swimming off the boat since you are not getting ready to take off. But most people fly it while swimming anyway. 

[Woodski]

@theloungelife - find a judge that skis tournaments, may help your cause when you step up to pay...

[Sixball]

Got burned from DNR . Ticket says not over one hundred bucks. But by  the time it got through court it was something like $180.00. When we got busted I tried the you don't need a third if practicing for a tournament. Officer said so your a certified driver? No.  We do not ski well the lake is crowded. And the only close calls we have ever had we had spotters and they were to busy talking to each other and never any help.  No weary any more our lake is gone! I may be to old to do much skiing by the time we rebuild!  07 R LXI for sale.

[theloungelife]

Ticket ended up being $170.  My friend and I split it.  We also may have bought a halloween dummy for the boat...  for when no 3rds can be had. 

[PNWoke]

On 6/5/2020 at 6:25 PM, UWSkier said:

Any time skier is in the water and not actively in tow or being propelled, a flag must be displayed. This includes people just swimming off the boat I believe. There's a flag in my boat because we have a flagger law. It's been used maybe 5 times. It's very silly. 

Same.  Also noticed that extra people means extra conversations and other distractions.  We have a flag for legal purposes but I try to drive as if it were just me and the rider.  I focus a lot on my path and secondly with rear view mirror directly on the rider, and I constantly adjust steering and wedge to optimize their experience, which keeps me in tune with the rider.  We put the kids in charge of the flag and I don’t worry about it.  I will not accidentally run someone over because I was stressing about a flag and it’s whereabouts.

[bss8]

On 7/1/2020 at 3:06 PM, Sixball said:

Got burned from DNR . Ticket says not over one hundred bucks. But by  the time it got through court it was something like $180.00. When we got busted I tried the you don't need a third if practicing for a tournament. Officer said so your a certified driver? No.  We do not ski well the lake is crowded. And the only close calls we have ever had we had spotters and they were to busy talking to each other and never any help.  No weary any more our lake is gone! I may be to old to do much skiing by the time we rebuild!  07 R LXI for sale.

Man that is beyond messed up. Your lake just made international headlines for draining due to poor state management of the dam, and the DNR still wants to get your money for a stupid spotter ticket?? Unreal. 

[Eagleboy99]

10 minutes ago, bss8 said:

DNR still wants to get your money for a stupid spotter ticket??

Get the Judge to ask the DNR to take him to the point of the infraction.

[Sixball]

4 hours ago, bss8 said:

Man that is beyond messed up. Your lake just made international headlines for draining due to poor state management of the dam, and the DNR still wants to get your money for a stupid spotter ticket?? Unreal. 

My ticket was years ago. So nothing close to our Dam issues now.  The state didn't have much in itself to do with this. The dam owner is the biggest issue. He has been skating and not working on required updates. that is for all four lakes not just ours. The Federal Energy commission has a large part. All our lake were power making so fell under FERC laws. Our lake lost its license close to two years ago now and then fell under Mich. dam laws. We are looking at rebuilding 350 million 2 to 6 years for the four lakes. Ours being 6 years. Still very early so we will see how close this will be.

[electricjohn]

We got a ticket once for using 2 (very qualified) 5 year olds, instead of a 10 year old. $35 fine. Sheriff had no sense of humor.

[Sixball]

30 minutes ago, electricjohn said:

We got a ticket once for using 2 (very qualified) 5 year olds, instead of a 10 year old. $35 fine. Sheriff had no sense of humor.

So often the very young spotters do a much better job. My not understand all a spotter can do buy they seam to watch the in tow person!

[Ingineer66]

12 hours ago, electricjohn said:

We got a ticket once for using 2 (very qualified) 5 year olds, instead of a 10 year old. $35 fine. Sheriff had no sense of humor.

Luckily for me from the time my oldest daughter was 9 (spotter law was 12) she could single ski and drive a boat better than many people on the lake and she was a bit big for her age so we never got stopped.  I always planned to use the ability argument if I did get stopped. 

[electricjohn]

Although we skied in Vermont back in the 60's & 70's where a spotter is not required, I feel an adult spotter is an important part of the team. They would be necessary for removing a severely injured or unconscious skier from the water.