‘Watch Your Wake’ isn’t just a slogan, it’s also an action. An action that can keep fellow boaters safe and decrease damage to docks and eroding shorelines.
Any boat can create a wake, or a wave, as it passes through the water; it’s not only the large boats that cause them. A wake created in the wrong place can be costly and dangerous.
The Texas Water Safety Code states that a boat operator is always responsible for the wake caused by a boat until it flattens out. This is true for all boats and personal watercraft (PWC), including those that are borrowed or rented.
A wake can be minimized by avoiding congested or confined areas, staying in the middle of the reservoir, and if equipped with ballast bags, by draining them while traveling to your desired location.
There are portions of every reservoir where boats and personal watercraft are not allowed to create a wake. On any of the three Brazos River Authority (BRA) reservoirs, those areas are marked by a no-wake buoy or those that fall within 100 feet of another boater or shoreline.
A no-wake speed is a headway speed that does not create a swell or wake. This means if you’re piloting a boat or on a PWC, you need to hit the brakes sooner to decrease the size of the wake before entering a no-wake zone.
Safety is a top priority for the BRA. The no-wake zone on BRA reservoirs increased from 50 feet to 100 feet in June 2022. Increasing the no-wake zone was done to decrease the disturbances caused by boats traveling too fast and too close to docks, the shoreline and other boaters.
In recent months, the no-wake zones at Lake Granbury have increased. Maps of those increases can be found here.
“Most of the time, when we make a stop because of a 100 ft. no wake violation, the two most popular responses from boaters are they were either unaware of the rule or they think it didn’t apply to their type of vessel,” says Scott Davis, lake ranger sergeant at Lake Limestone.
“The public (especially our regulars) are becoming more familiar with the 100-foot rule,” Davis said. “A boater should be conscious of their wake, whether they are in a no-wake zone or not. Courtesy and self-awareness as an operator of a vessel goes a long way in preventing any potential problems from excessive wakes.”
BRA operating regulations require watercraft within 100 feet of a shoreline, boathouse, dock, other watercraft or area where people are swimming or diving to operate at a slow speed that does not create a wake.
Not only can a citation be given for violating this rule, but if someone can prove your wake has damaged their property, you can be held responsible for repairs to their boat or dock. Slowing down is much easier on your wallet than being confronted with costly repairs to another person’s property or a county-issued citation.
No-wake zones aren’t there to slow down your fun, they’re there to keep people, marinas, docks and boats safe. When you follow the no-wake rule, you’re protecting swimmers, preventing damage to docks, and helping the lake stay peaceful. It’s a small effort that makes a big difference.