boating accident

[Vincentc]

The post regarding a tragic accident apparently involving no lookout at all has has, as things often do, evolved into topic of some controversy. Let me hold back no longer with my opinion.

I am certainly for it.

I base my opinion on the following speech.

My friends, I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey:

If when you say whiskey you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it.

But, if when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentleman's step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and to forget, if only for a little while, life's great tragedies, and heartaches, and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I am for it.

This is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise.

Judge Noah S. "Soggy" Sweat, Jr. (b. October 2, 1922; d. February 23, 1996, Alcorn County, Mississippi) was a judge, law professor, and state representative in the U.S. state of Mississippi, notable for his 1952 speech on the floor of the Mississippi state legislature concerning whiskey.

 

[Freeebird]

Finally!... the voice of reason!

 

[capttonyf]

Obviously it depends where you are, what kind of schedule you are on and what kind of boat you are running.

I probably wouldn't ever run a sportfish alone as indeed the odds of falling overboard are higher than on a MY with railing all around. Or a MY with only transom ER access with no safety railing on the platform, I woudl probably also be reluctant to single hand it or at the very least take precautions on every trip down the ER ( inflatable PFD and waterproof VHF in my pocket). Also noticed how many European boats don't have rub rails? that pretty much means you must have someone to adjust fenders while docking to single handling is out...

Any trip requiring round th clock passage woudl also require extra crew.

As to injuries or medical emergencies, sure anything is possible but as Randy said 120mph closing speed on a highway and just a heart attack, stroke or dizzy spell away from death is hardly safe when you think about it...

As usual it s not black or white but shades of grey... Hence my personal view that it s more a question of not feeling the need for a mate because the boat I run really doesn't require it.

As to companionship, I guess it comes down to personality. I do enjoy spending a few days alone once in a while not even docking and eating dinner out but instead anchoring out. Again personal preference.

Cool, personal preference. Understood. I guess that's what makes us all a little different, but also very much the same.

 

[rsmith]

Ok so I guess I'll get deleted again but I think it's pretty arrogant for the blowhards and braggarts to post on a thread where someone died in an accident and rail on about how great they are and that THEY can run any vessel in any condition with one hand tied behind their back in complete safety. The ocean bottom is littered with body's of cavalier captains and crew that had contempt for safety. Collisions at sea happen all the time many times to highly experienced mariners. I've testified in both a court-marshal inquiry of a USCG Captain and again in a wrongful death suit in the same incident and I can tell you when the prosecutor asks what is it a prudent man would have done, you better have a damn good answer more that your the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

[Boatsb]

It's not if. It's when something goes wrong. Having another capable person is always better than needing one. Unless you got these.

They don't come in my size nor do I think it's my style.

 

[Freeebird]

Sometimes pictures are better than words, but pictures WITH words are always good.

 

[carolinacoast]

This is a famous aviation quote that can be applied to this thread, "A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skills."

 

[Artzco]

This is a famous aviation quote that can be applied to this thread, "A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid situations which require the use of his superior skills."

Now that everyone has expressed how superior they are, this thread is useless.

 

[Boatsb]

Now that everyone has expressed how superior they are, this thread is useless.

Now I have an inferiority complex.

Is there a dr. In the house?

 

[Freeebird]

Funny, but I had to go back and re-read this thread to see how it went from one of condolence to a discussion about single handing a boat. Did I miss something or was it reported that the boat responsible for this tragedy was indeed being operated with only one person onboard?

 

[Boatsb]

Funny, but I had to go back and re-read this thread to see how it went from one of condolence to a discussion about single handing a boat. Did I miss something or was it reported that the boat responsible for this tragedy was indeed being operated with only one person onboard?

On autopilot with maybe one person awake. Pretty much the same thing.

 

[saltshaker]

We can pontificate all day long about what we should or should not do. Sounds like reckless operation regardless of how many were on the SF. Other than one post giving some details to the accident, we don't know what really happened. Only thing we know for certain was that it was a terrible accident with deadly consequences. A member here lost some close friends. That's an awful tradgedy and hopefully one that none of us need experience. My condolences to all the friends and family that are suffering from thier loss of loved ones.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Here is the latest accident up here. 2 dead as go-fast jumps off wake and into the back of a Bayliner.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/08/03/4-hospitalized-after-boating-accident-in-lake-st-clair/

 

[Freeebird]

Here is the latest accident up here. 2 dead as go-fast jumps off wake and into the back of a Bayliner.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/08/03/4-hospitalized-after-boating-accident-in-lake-st-clair/

"UPDATE: A 32-year-old man has been arrested on alcohol charges in the wake of the crash."

Interesting choice of words. Didn't see anything about the Baja jumping a wake though. I do recall that story being posted in a boating group on Facebook with a woman asking how the one boat hit the other while it was tied at the dock. You have to wonder sometimes.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Friends of mine were in a boat in FL that was hit in similar circumstances a few years back. The operator of the boat that hit them was also drinking. She was hurt, but not killed. The operator of the boat that hit them agreed to sell his boats, surrender his operators license, and not operate a boat again in exchange for their dropping their charges against him. She has recovered. No word on whether he's kept his word, but the judge warned him not to try to get away with anything.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

"UPDATE: A 32-year-old man has been arrested on alcohol charges in the wake of the crash."

Interesting choice of words. Didn't see anything about the Baja jumping a wake though. I do recall that story being posted in a boating group on Facebook with a woman asking how the one boat hit the other while it was tied at the dock. You have to wonder sometimes.

I read a couple of articles on it at the time and what it looks like is that the baja approached two cruisers from behind. He tried to go between them at high speed and lost control coming off of their wakes.

 

[Avenger]

We just had a gem here over the weekend. Police alledge drunk operator didn't do a head count and killed one of his own passengers.

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/...rrested-in-drunken-boating-accident-1.9025758

An outing on Baldwin Bay turned into Long Island's first boating fatality of the year when a passenger, still in the water, was struck by the vessel's propeller as an intoxicated operator started the engine, authorities said Monday.

Raymond Balboa, 53, of Baldwin, was arraigned Monday on charges of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree operating a vessel while intoxicated and operating an unregistered vessel, his 50-foot Sea Ray cabin cruiser, when Cesar Augusto Hernandez-Rodas, 34, of Bay Shore, was killed Sunday evening.

"I didn't drink, dude," a court document quotes Balboa telling a Nassau police highway patrol officer about two hours after the fatal accident.

About 10 to 14 people were on his pleasure craft in an outing for employees of a tile company that Balboa and his wife, Diana, own, court documents said.

They went out to Baldwin Bay to swim, court documents said, and shortly after 6 p.m., Balboa said he ordered his guests to get back on board, then was told that "everyone was on."

"The defendant starts the motor and begins to navigate away when screams begin from people on board and the victim," the court papers said.

The propeller cut the victim's "lower extremities" several times, police said.

It was not immediately clear who called 911, but at 6:34 p.m., nine minutes after the incident, the boat docked at a waterfront home on nearby Irving Avenue in Freeport, where officers were waiting, Nassau police said.

Hernandez-Rodas was taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, where he was pronounced dead at 7:07 p.m. Sunday, police said.

Balboa's attorney, Michael DerGarabedian of Rockville Centre, said a witness account contradicts the police version. According to the witness, Hernandez-Rodas might have jumped into the water, leading to the fatal injury, DerGarabedian said.

The attorney said he believes Balboa, who is married with three children, acted properly. He was expected to be released after posting $100,000 bond or $50,000 cash bail.

But investigators who interviewed Balboa at Irving Avenue found he was "exhibiting signs of intoxication" in a field sobriety test at the scene, court papers said.

Shortly after 8 p.m., documents said, Balboa was still at the scene in Freeport when he told the Nassau highway patrol officer: "This whole thing is not me. I was trying to please other people. It's crazy . . . I can't believe it."

Balboa refused a breath test but later consented to a blood test at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, where he was transported after complaining of "anxiety" en route to central booking, authorities said.

Prosecutors said they are awaiting the blood-test results to determine if Balboa was intoxicated.

Hernandez-Rodas' family could not be reached Monday for comment.

Recreational boating fatalities have dropped in New York and Long Island, state figures show. Last year, two boaters on Long Island died, compared with nine in 2012, the state said.

Just last month, Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice called for the need to strengthen existing laws and regulations on alcohol-related boating incidents.

"This tragic death is a sad reminder that operating a boat can be just as dangerous as operating a car or motorcycle, and that we must take this risk very seriously by regulating boats just as vigorously," Rice said Monday in a prepared statement.

With John Valenti

 

[drburke]

Eye-witness account of St. Clair accident:
http://sailinganarchy.com/2014/08/04/the-rivers-edge/

DAN

 

[hatteras 1985]

They went out to Baldwin Bay to swim, court documents said, and shortly after 6 p.m., Balboa said he ordered his guests to get back on board, then was told that "everyone was on."

"The defendant starts the motor and begins to navigate away when screams begin from people on board and the victim," the court papers said.

The propeller cut the victim's "lower extremities" several times, police said.

What was the victim doing all the way under the boat, next to the running gear?

I thought this story involved an outboard or an inboard outboard. A 50' Sleaze Ray is an inboard boat, with running gear tucked way under the hull. The guy would have to be hanging out down there to get mixed up with the prop.

 

[Freeebird]

I read a couple of articles on it at the time and what it looks like is that the baja approached two cruisers from behind. He tried to go between them at high speed and lost control coming off of their wakes.

Overtaking two cruisers in the middle is a recipe for disaster, sober or otherwise. I don't know if mandatory education/licensing would help, but given the number of clueless operators on the waterways, it certainly couldn't hurt.