Boating

I like to use my little speedboat, and drive around looking at stuff. However, in many places which, according to the map, should be open, accessible water, is either blocked by construction, or worse, blocked because access has been denied by the owner. Is there a way that public waterways can be develped around the major continents and islands so that boaters can get through? As there is no contiguous street system, this would also turn the waterways into a sort of "main street" people could use, and might positively influence the SL economy.

A warm welcome to the SL Forums, Tug! Disappointed to hear that you're having a hard time navigating the water. If there are structures obstructing Linden Land, including waterways, it's often a good idea to contact the owner and show them what you mean--sometimes they even aren't aware a bridge may be too low-hanging for a boat. If that fails, you can go to HELP menu ---> REPORT ABUSE in the efforts of getting the blocking build removed.

If someone owns the waterfront and it is their property, they can restrict access. There is actually quite an extensive road network in the central mainland, altho not finished by any means. If you've explored the southern continent (wish I had a name--the northern one is Heterocera Atoll) more, its expansion may be amenable to what you're suggesting.

However, in the meantime, there are lots of void (blue squares filled with water) regions on the map, some of them containing little islands, and in my boating experiences, I've made quite a jaunt from one location to another.