All watercraft on
1.
Current proof of liability insurance and
ownership
must be shown for each watercraft registered. Watercraft that are
registered
must be owned by the property owner.
2.
Watercraft must
have aboard all TPW
required paraphernalia. These include: Life vests for every boater,
fire
extinguisher, orange 'down-tow' flag, mirror, horn or whistle, and
running
lights when appropriate.
3.
Guest, or rental,
craft will be registered
by the Property Owner of record and will display a clip-on numbered
flag in
lieu of the stickers to show they've complied with the
4.
Specifically
exempted
from
registration are canoes, kayaks, and paddleboats, etc.
1.
The property owner
identified by the TX
Number is accountable for the safe conduct of the watercraft so
assigned.
2.
The 'Property
Owner' must be present in a
launching party, and must remain with them either in the picnic and
beach
areas, or on the lake lots. Property Owner in this context is lot owner
or
resident, their children, grandchildren, and spouses and these people
must be
listed by name below.
3.
No person under
16 years of age may operate a motorcraft over 15 hp or windblown vessel
over 14
feet in length unless accompanied by a person 18 years of age or older.
Exception: If the person is at least 13 years of age and has
successfully
passed the
4.
Operating a
watercraft under the influence
of drugs and/or alcohol is illegal and unsafe.
Anyone suspected of being under the influence will be required
to leave
the premises, and the appropriate law enforcement agency will be
notified. A zero tolerance position will
be taken in
regards to operating under the influence.
5.
All boat traffic
will be in a
counterclockwise direction with speed limits of 5 mph in 'no wake'
zones and 45
mph maximum on the main lake.
6.
It is unlawful and
against lake
regulations to operate watercraft in a reckless manner, and or at a
rate of
speed greater than is reasonable and prudent or greater than will
permit you to
bring your boat to a stop within the assured clear distance ahead. Determination of reckless, reasonable or
prudent operation of watercraft will be at the sole judgment of the ILE
BOD and
person or persons appointed by the ILE BOD.
7.
It is unlawful and
against lake
regulations to operate in a circular course around swimmers, to remain
stationary for an extended period or to operate your vessel in such a
way as to
prevent, impede, or interfere with safe passage of any other boat
through the
same area.
8.
Motorcraft shall
not operate within 100
feet of another PWC, motorboat, person, object, or shore except at 'no
wake'
speed.
9. It is unlawful and against lake
regulations, when operating a PWC, to jump
the
wake
of another vessel recklessly or follow unnecessarily close.
(see also
rule #6 above) It is
expressly
forbidden for any watercraft to jump the wake of any watercraft that
has a
person in tow.
10. Sporting operation of PWC's
must be conducted on a “non-occupied”
part of the lake: i.e. no other watercraft within 300 feet. (see also
rule #6
above)
11. It is unlawful and against lake
regulations to operate within 50
feet of a "Diver Down Flag" or operate a boat within 150 feet of a
"Diver Down Flag" except at ‘headway / steerage speed.
12. Every
boat or PWC towing a person(s) on water skis, tubes or other similar
device
must have:
a.
An observer, other than the boat operator 13 years of age or older, or…
b. A rearview mirror, and
c.
An orange caution flag, which must be raised to indicate persons in the
water.
13. A
PWC
must
be rated for at least two (2) persons when towing persons on
water
skis, tubes or a similar device. If an
observer is used, the PWC must be rated for
three (3) people – the driver, the observer, and the retrieved
skier.
14. All
watercraft
behind
or beside a person-in-tow
or a fallen person-in-tow must maintain a safe distance to allow time
to avoid
a fallen skier with a minimum of at least 200 feet clearance.
When a
faster moving craft comes up on another slower moving craft that has a
person-in-tow or a fallen person-in-tow, the faster craft is to (1)
stop and
wait or (2) slow down or alter course to maintain a safe or minimum
required
200 feet. If the overtaking watercraft
is also pulling a skier the overtaking watercraft may elect to turn
around by
turning left (counter-clock-wise) across the middle area of the lake
and
carefully enter into the flow of traffic in the opposite direction. Passing persons-in-tow is not allowed except
where the 200-foot clearance can be maintained.
15. From dusk until dawn,
watercraft must revert to 'no wake' speed on
the entire lake with running lights on.
16. Operators of watercraft so
equipped must wear an engaged motor
kill-switch device (required on PWC’s).
17. PWC riders must wear a Coast
Guard approved personal flotation
device (PFD).
18. Persons towed in any manner
must wear a Coast Guard approved PFD.
19. Racing is not permitted.
(Caution: Some insurance companies may
deem liability coverage void if watercraft is used for racing or
negligent
behavior.)
20. The right-of-way, as defined by
the Inland Navigation Rules of the
Federal Collision Avoidance Regulations, will be yielded in the
following
order: PWC's yield to motorboats, to watercraft with a person in tow,
to
sailboats, to paddle boats and all will yield to swimmers. It is
expected that
sailboats, paddleboats, and swimmers will be careful not to put
themselves in
harms way.
__________________
The
above
described rules and regulations may include laws established by the
Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department and other State and Federal Agency’s, but do
not
include all state and federal laws, many of which change from time to
time. It is the intention of the ILE BOD
for residents and their guests to adhere to the established rules as
published
as well as all State and Federal laws.
The ILE BOD may at its sole discretion assess fines or limit
access to
residents and or their guests for violations of the ILE rules and
regulations,
as set forth, as well as State and Federal laws. The
ILE
BOD,
and or persons designated by the
ILE BOD, may require a violator of these regulations to leave the lake,
and may
also solicit law enforcement agencies, if so required to enforce such
laws.
