SMOKEY POINT – Del Snyder loves paddling his pontoon boat on Twin Lakes, flicking a favorite hand-tied fly into the fishing hole and finding out if there’s a fish or two willing to tussle.
That serenity has been washed away by dozens of miniature boats that have buzzed across the surface on recent weekends, including last Saturday.
The miniature boat enthusiasts have been using Gissberg Twin Lakes County Park for 25 years, though usually they use the north lake, which is set aside for kids to fish.
This year Snohomish County decided to put the miniature boat races on the south lake, where adults such as Snyder usually fish.
“Who in the world authorized them to use these motorized boats when it’s against county code to use internal combustion motors on the lake?” he asked.
The regulations refer to full-size motor boats, said Ron Martin, Snohomish County director of parks and recreation.
“They have a licensed agreement to use the lake on 10 different occasions during the year,” Martin said.
He said the boat racers only use half of the lake, leaving the other half for anglers fishing from shore.
The county doesn’t allow anglers or anyone else to launch nonmotorized boats on the lake during races for fear they will get hit by the 5- to 10-pound boats that can buzz at speeds up to 70 mph.
“We do want to get along with everybody,” said Ken Mallit, a member of Northwest Rooster Tails, one of several miniature boat racing clubs that show up for the Twin Lakes races. He said the boat racers will meet with the county to try to find a way to ease the anglers’ concerns.
On Saturday morning, the miniature boat racers put up about 20 tents on a bank off the parking lot at the south lake. An announcer’s voice blasted from speakers, blending in with the revs of gasoline-burning motors.
Norm Robison of Lake Steven cast a line into the water from the other side of the square lake as the speedy boats buzzed by in the distance.
Robison, 55, said he didn’t know about the event until he arrived at the lake with his family. He said he found the race entertaining.
“It’s not that big a deal. We will survive,” he said.
The racing drew a few spectators on the racing side of the lake as well.
“I love it. I just like the excitement” of the boat races, Terrie Anstadt of Marysville said.
As he put fuel into his handmade boat, Mike Cathey of Lake Forest Park said that if some fishermen complain about the boats it’s unfortunate because he is a fisherman, too.
“We are concerned about people being too close on the water. It’s strictly about safety,” he said.
Reporter Lukas Velush: 425-339-3449 or lvelush@heraldnet.com.
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