21 Apr 2010
HAWL GENERAL BOAT RULES
Revised 01/22/08
DEFINITIONS
1. Personal Water Craft (PWC) - Personal Water Craft are small, inboard powered boats that use water jets for propulsion. They are designed for use by one or two people, and in some cases, three people. They are small and highly maneuverable. PWC’s are powerboats and must observe the same rules as larger motorboats. They must carry required equipment as do other inboard powered boats. (Effective October 1994, no specialty prop-craft motorboats or jet/pump propelled motorboats or PWC shall be allowed on HAWL waters unless previously registered; such registration is no longer valid upon transfer of title.)
2. Motor Boat - Any boat equipped with internal combustion propulsion machinery is a motor boat.
3. Sailboat - A boat powered by wind and sails. May or may not have an auxiliary engine. Sailboats are less maneuverable and must be given traffic priority over other watercraft; however, they are subject to the General Boat Rules.
4. “No Wake” Area - Those areas marked, as in coves, as well as the areas within 100 feet from the shore of the main lake.
5. Open Lake - Those areas of the main lake exclusive of the “no wake” areas is considered the open lake.
1. Night Time - The period of time between 30 minutes after sundown to 30 minutes before sunrise.
BOATING RULES
1. Observe all Mississippi Boating Laws with respect to safety.
2. Obey all traffic signs on the Lake.
3. Property owners are responsible for the actions of their children and guests at all times.
4. If launching boat from community launching area by the Lodge, park vehicle and trailer behind tennis courts. Avoid using Lodge parking lot if possible. Do no park vehicle in boat launching area or pavilion area. Loading/unloading only permitted. If launching at Westside Marina, do not park so as to block traffic or access to the launching ramp.
5. Docking of boats in the boat launch area or at the launch pier in order to use adjacent facilities is prohibited.
6. Boats which are not registered with HAWL and guest boats will not be allowed on the lake at any time. Decals must be attached in a location visible from each side of the vessel while the boat is underway on all boats which are registered to go into the lake. Excluding manual powered vessels, all boats operating on the lake must have proof of $100,000 minimum liability insurance.
7. Currently registered motor or sail boats purchased by another property owner must be re-registered, at no cost, as soon as feasible. The boat will maintain the seller’s HAWL decal until the expiration date.
8. Speed Limit: 40 MPH on open lake during daylight hours and “No Wake” speed at night or during periods of limited visibility.
9. There shall be no skiing or PWC boats on the lake during nighttime, during periods of limited visibility, or when the light is flashing on the roof of the lodge. All boats will then be limited to “No Wake” speed.
10.Do not operate any watercraft while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
11.All boat traffic must travel in a counter-clockwise direction on the open lake.
12.Boats are not to exceed 24 feet in length. Original owners of larger boats registered prior to June 1, 1994, are exempt from this ruling.
13.All watercraft shall operate at idle speed in marked “No Wake” areas including marinas, bays, coves, and within 100 feet adjacent to the shoreline in the open lake.
14.Swimming in the vicinity of the marina launch areas shall be in the designated areas only. For safety reasons, swimmers should not be farther than 50 feet from shore in the open lake.
15.When any motorboat, sailboat or PWC is under power, all persons riding therein shall remain within the watercraft; no person shall hang over the bow, stern or gunwales (side).
16.There shall be at least two persons in any boat which is towing a water skier, ski board, knee board, tube, or any other flotation device/vehicle; one to operate the boat and the other to face and observe the progress and safety of the person being towed. The boat operator of the towing vessel must be at least 15 years of age. The observer must be at least 10 years of age. It is mandatory that the person being towed wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD).
17.A tow boat must not enter into the “No Wake” area with a skier; however, the skier may swing in to the 100 foot area to drop skis. All water craft and skiers must stay 75 feet from any other watercraft or person. No boat shall follow closer than 150 feet behind a person being towed.
18.The basic requirements for all water craft defined in DEFINITIONS 1, 2, and 3, operating on HAWL waters are as follows:
i. A USCG approved personal flotation device (PFD) for each person on board.
ii. Every person 12 years of age or younger is required to wear a USCG approved PFD while underway in the open lake in any watercraft defined in DEFINITIONS 1, 2, and 3, or in any canoe or kayak.
iii. Red and green running lights mounted on the bow. Green to starboard (right side) and red to port (left side) and all around white light on the stern if operating at night.
iv. Fire extinguisher if inboard engine or enclosed fuel compartments.
19.No motor boat shall be operated by any person who is under the age of 12 years except when accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other person 18 years of age or older. Since insurance companies’ policies differ, it is incumbent upon the property owner to assure each operator is properly covered by the owner’s insurance.
20.At no time shall any unauthorized person move or tamper with any marker or buoy on HAWL waters.
21.Effective October 1994, no specialty prop-craft motorboats or jet/pump propelled motorboats (PWC) shall be allowed on HAWL waters unless previously registered; such registration is no longer valid upon transfer of title.
22.Follow all safety rules for your own protection as well as others. All accidents must be reported to the Lodge office as soon as possible.
23.Citations will be issued for violations of the General Boat Rules. In all cases, after three confirmed safety violations against the same boat within a two year period, that boat will be banned from the lake for a period of one year.
FEE SCHEDULE
All internal combustion powered boats and sailboats: Annual Fee...............$15.00
All human powered and electric powered boats (such as canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, etc.): One Time Fee......$ 5.00
Note: Owners of human and electric powered boats identified above will, at the time of registration, be assigned a permanent number for that particular boat. It will be the responsibility of the boat owner to insure that the assigned number is properly displayed to be visible when the boat is underway. Currently registered boats purchased by another property owner must be re-registered, at no cost, as soon as feasible.
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