Boaters and locals of Keuka Lake disagree about a new planned boat law

Jerusalem, New York – Keuka Lake may soon see a new boat regulation prohibiting boats from mooring within 500 feet of Crescent Beach.

Boaters frequently congregate at Crescent Beach, a shallow region at the head of Keuka Lake’s west branch, but things could soon change.

After 50 years of living on the lake, a cottage owner who wished to remain anonymous said he thought tensions between weekend boaters and residents had increased.

“We started having groups of boats, sometimes small, sometimes as many as 30 or more boats, that would be not far offshore,” he said. “Often it’s very loud, very vulgar, loud music playing, so we can’t sit and talk on our docks or in our yards because of the volume of the music.”

The Vessel Anchoring and Rafting ordinance of the Town of Jerusalem, a recently proposed ordinance, prohibits anchoring a boat within 50 feet of the shoreline or between Crescent Beach’s shoreline and the channel marker buoys. There are two exceptions: fishing and emergency.

The rule, which has offended some weekend boaters and other lake residents, was brought before the town board by cottage owners.

“We are allowed to be on that lake. We have boats, that is a navigable water,” one anonymous weekend boater said. “That is the shallow end of the lake, and that is why a lot of the boaters like it, because we can anchor our boats, we can swim off of our boats, you can stand in the water, the kids can play. It is just an ideal spot.”

The Jerusalem Town Board will decide on the proposed law, despite the fact that opinions on this matter are mixed. The board will vote on the law on August 16th, according to the town supervisor.

“I have been down there 25 years, and I have yet to see one of the cottage owners have difficulty in motoring out,” the anonymous weekend boater continued.

“We recognize that it’s not our lake, but it’s not really just their lake either,” the anonymous cottage owner argued. “Had they been polite and reasonable, this would have never come up.”