(Reproduced with permission from FOCA)

Cottage country boaters, lake associations, and marinas from Lake Erie to Sudbury to the Thousand Islands are all pledging to Be #WakeAware this boating season.

You can too.

Closed borders and isolating away from urban centres led to huge increases in the use of Ontario’s waterways over the past two years, and new ‘staycationing’ incentives will keep the heat on cottage country this year. There were nearly 200,000 new Pleasure Craft Operator Cards (PCOCs) issued in 2021, after a peak of 237,000 issued in the first year of the global pandemic! That is a lot of new boaters on our waterways. We all can’t wait to be back on the water this season, but let’s do it safely and responsibly. Let’s all pledge to Be #WakeAware.

Why is wake an issue?

Boat wakes can be a danger to swimmers, canoes and paddleboarders, and can swamp loon nests at the shore. According to a University of Windsor study published in the North American Lake Management Society’s journal, Lake and Reservoir Management, wake generated by recreational boats has the potential to erode the shoreline, damage infrastructure like docks, and disrupt aquatic ecosystems. Over one summer season on Whitestone Lake in Ontario’s cottage country, the authors wrote, “recreational boat wakes accounted for ~61% of total wave energy” at the study site.*

How to be #WakeAware when boating

Potentially damaging wakes are caused by plowing boats leaving a boat launch or marina, or sudden  deceleration or turns near shore. Look behind your boat to ensure you minimize the impact of your wake on shorelines and docks. Always travel at a safe speed near shore and when approaching narrows, and watch your wake to minimize the impacts to others.

Boaters need to be aware of the size of their wake during displacement (travelling low in the water) and transition (with the bow up) to getting on plane (coasting with little drag). Position passengers throughout the boat to reduce the time spent in transition and get on plane as soon as possible. Take waterski, surf and wakeboard fun 200 metres or more away from shorelines. These are small changes that have a big impact and are at the core of what it means to  Be #WakeAware.

About the Be #WakeAware campaign

The Be #WakeAware campaign was launched in 2021 as a joint initiative of the Muskoka Lakes Association (MLA), Safe Quiet Lakes (SQL), and the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations (FOCA). The campaign prompts boaters to watch their wake impacts and move any ‘big wake’ fun to an appropriate area of the lake, far away from shorelines.

This year, marina operators across Ontario are coming on board as #WakeAware Marine Ambassadors to spread the word at the water’s edge to new and long-time boaters. Dawn Campbell of Balsam RPM in the Kawarthas was one of the first to sign on to the campaign. “A lot of people don’t realize when they whip out of here,” she says, “how much damage their wake does to docks and other boats.” All marina operators are encouraged to join the campaign, and pledge to spread the word by signing up here: https://www.bewakeaware.com/#marine-ambassadors.

Here’s where YOU come in

Everyone who loves Ontario cottage country is encouraged to  learn  more  about  wake  impacts  in  a quick one-minute video posted to the campaign webpage:https://www.bewakeaware.com/. Then, share the news with your fellow association members and friends. Use the hashtag #WakeAware on social media, and remember to thank your local marina when you see them proudly displaying their Marine Ambassador sign. If your local marina is not on the Marine Ambassadors list yet, talk to them about why they should be!

Together, we are all part of the solution for waterfront Ontario.

* journal citation above: “Relative importance of recreational boat wakes on an inland lake”, C. Houser, A. Smith, J. Lilly, Lake and Reservoir Management, 2021, Vol. 37, No. 3, 227-234.