 | E-mail this story |  | Write letter to editor |  | Order a classified ad |
| E-mail this story | | Write letter to editor | | Order a classified ad |
The predominant atmosphere was one of happy Yellowknifers, taking advantage of the sunny summer solstice.
With so many vessels sharing our waters, it's a difficult task for them to coexist.
Greg Penney prefers Long Beach to launch his Bayliner motor boat.
He always gives the right of way to smaller boats, but he thinks they need to be aware of high traffic areas and preferably stay inland.
Busy weekends are his only beef. "On a busy day, docking space is crowded. It (the lineup) can anger up at times when the weather is nice and people want to dock," said Penney, using a Newfoundland expression to describe the situation.
At the Pier 1 Marina, owner Brett Wolfe doesn't get out on the water as much as he would like.
The majority of people at his marina follow the no wake zone rule, but not the majority of people in Yellowknife, he said.
Over all, Wolfe said, "I don't see any problems."
Yellowknife Bay has a lot of canoe traffic in the summer, because houseboaters use them to commute to and from their homes. It's not strange for a canoer to meet a sailboat, a motor boat and a float plane in one crossing.
For houseboat dweller Jen Walden, as long as people are respectful, she has no problems.
She notes that on a recent trip on Back Bay, a float plane saw her canoe and adjusted flight to land 100 metres past her.
"I am appreciative of that."
Other canoers struggle with a lack of knowledge on the water. Penny Shaw has lived in Yellowknife for 11 years, but she's spent her life with boats.
According to Shaw, boating behaviour can be so extreme that those boaters wouldn't be allowed a berth at most marinas.
Shaw doesn't have anything against power boats, but says that a lack of knowledge becomes dangerous when you add a gas-guzzling motor.
To make Shaw happier on the water, "common sense, good manners and a rudimentary understanding will do it."
