Waterfront erosion is a huge issue on the Great Lakes. Try coming into inlet and river areas adjoining the big lakes throwing even a tiny wake and you will have property owners lined up with air horns blasting at you. (And understandably so in my opinion). Last week a transient 60 foot Princess came down the channel toward the fuel dock clearly throwing a wake. He slowed down a bit after the horn onslaught, but was still going too fast when he passed the marina. (A one foot wave slops over the fixed docks). I yelled at him and pointed to his stern. The operator threw his hands up and yelled that both engines were at idle....what am I supposed to do. I called the fuel dock and told the staff to tell the operator to run on one engine or nudge it in and out of gear on the way out...duh. He was "no wake" on departure.
Honestly, this kind of stuff can go both ways, and you are not a cop (or at least I don't think you are).
I was headed back to our slip a few weeks ago, running in a channel that is zoned for 25 mph. I was going about 15 knots and throwing a sizable wake. Well ahead of us, like 1/4 mile or more, I saw some guys working on a dock in the mouth of a side canal, so I chopped it down to near idle. No, or very, very little wake well before I got to them.
Nonetheless, they both came out waving their arms and screaming. I checked my wake again, none. So I carried on at idle or darn close to it, about 2.5 knots. As I passed by, one of the guys was cursing me and said I was throwing a wake. I explained to him that I was not, that I slowed down well before I got to him and told him to calm down. At that point he started saying that he was going to meet me at the locks (I wasn't going to the locks, but didn't tell him that) and that I was going to be very sorry. He kept telling me not to "smart off to him, called me a M****r F****r and informed me that he was armed.
I called the Sheriff. They said they were going to send an officer out by boat and that he had no right to threaten me. They had a deputy call me who asked if I had done any damage with my wake. I explained that I absolutely had not. He said he was going to go talk to the guy.
This took place on the St. Lucie river a few days prior to Hurricane Isasis coming through, so lots of boats were heading upriver toward Indiantown and the other inland marinas. I'm quite certain that most of them didn't slow down much at all for him, and it likely got worse the next day as the storm got closer. Dude lost his temper and took it out on me because I slowed down enough to hear him and he likely thought I wouldn't say anything back. I get it, but you can't threaten someone. Even if I was throwing a wake he is not responsible for enforcing it.