Tubing isn’t allowed in skiing areas of lake

Concerned resident Tom Nathan would like residents to be aware of the rules regarding tubing on Canyon Lake.

Lake & Marina Rules (LM.6.15 Use of Water Devices) states, “Use of water devices is allowed in designated areas only. Persons may be towed on a flotation device at 5 mph in the areas not designated for water skiing. Coast Guard approved lifejackets must be worn at all times by the person(s) being towed. NOTE: Use of all water devices is subject to the discretion of the Marine Patrol.”

Tom references a picture seen in The Friday Flyer July 8 and says, “The picture (boat pulling  three people on a large tube at what appears to be more than 5 mph) was taken at the Jump Lagoon (designated for skiing) over the 4th of July weekend. The same boat was there Memorial Day also. Other boats have been showing up at the Slalom Course/North Ski Area with tubes at an increasing rate. I personally don’t have a problem with the activity, but it seems that with this activity also comes some negatives for the Slalom Course and Jump Lagoon.”

Tom explains that the Jump Lagoon has marker buoys laid out in a rectangular pattern surrounding the landing area in front of the jump. The Ski Club hires a civil engineer to survey these buoy points down to the centimeter for use in a computer program that enables the measurement of jump distances during Ski Club tournaments.

“Ski Club people know how important it is to stay clear of these buoys so they won’t be damaged or destroyed, but others – like these tubers – don’t seem to care,” says Tom. “Over Memorial Day weekend, two out of the six surveyed buoys used to measure jump distances were knocked out by boaters like this.”

Over the 4th of July weekend, a PVC water pipe that directs water onto the jump ramp to make the surface slippery when jumping was broken off – “probably from someone climbing on it,” says Tom.

He explains that the slalom course in the North Ski Area is a similar scenario, with both turn buoys and boat guide buoys being knocked off, chopped up with propellers and, in some cases, tearing more fixed parts of the slalom course off the main underwater structure.

“My point is that, with no Marine Patrol in the two areas of Jump Lagoon and North Ski Area, increasing numbers of people are heading to those areas to do what otherwise would not be allowed if they were on the Main Lake,” Tom says. “No enforcement equals no risk.”

Driving by these areas and observing this activity, or seeing a picture of it in The Friday Flyer, may give residents the impression the activity is okay. But it isn’t, says Tom. Riding in a tube at greater than 5 mph, or in areas designated for skiing, are against POA rules.

When people go to the POA office to get a key for access to the Jump Lagoon, they have to sign a contract for use of that area. One of the points they sign off on states, “I understand that as a member of the Association, I am responsible for all charges, damages and violations of the CC&R’s or rules which are incurred, caused or committed by myself or other individuals permitted by myself to use the gate, roadway, or other related facilities.”