Boat accident
 

Maybe this question belongs in the boating section, if so the webmaster can move it.... The General Discussion gets more views. Yesterday (7/24) aftenoon at around 2:30 near 20-mile bay I came across the aftermath of some sort of boating mishap. There was a submerged boat - from what I could see the vessel was a 'closed bow' type judging from the 6 ft or so of the bow that was protruding above the water line. in attendence was the Tuftonboro fireboat, 2 marine patrol boats, and a Sea-tow vessel. there was a life ring in the water too. Anyone know what happened?

Link to the story in the Concord Monitor...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

Thanks Woodsy, another example of why we need more regulation on the lake. These go fast boats are very dangerous! Yesterday one of them came within about 25 feet of two children swimming off of our dock. The driver had no idea until several people on shore and in other boats started screaming at her. It was a big Formula.

I can't add any insight into what happened, but you have answered my question about where a Marine patrol was heading when he left Winter Harbor like I have never seen a Marine Patrol do. It was clear from the hurry he was in that something was seriously wrong.

Two calls for assistance on Saturday
 

While out on the lake sat, I heard two calls for help on Ch.16. One was a 36ft sailboat up on the rocks in the Cow Island area, and the other was a capsized sailboat in Melvin Village area, both required Marine Patrol and SeaTow assistance.

Also, don't know what was going on, but there were 2 tow boats near barber's pole Saturday, with lights flashing. Didn't go close enough to see what they were doing. Anyone have any idea??

Thanks...

The person operating the boat perhaps needs to be more careful if she failed to notice two swimmers in her path. More regulation won't help that at all. I would think there already are laws against hitting swimmers. If she did the same thing in a slower, less expensive boat would that be OK?

Aubrey,

I don't think speed had much to do with that particular operators inattention, it doesn't matter what size boat or what speed it was traveling. If the driver of the boat had completed the Boater Safety Course, he/she would have known that by law they need to stay 150' off the shoreline if they want to remain on plane. That rule is there to protect swimmers and minimize shoreline erosion. If the operator of a boat is not paying attention and did not see those swimmers, the result would be the same, regardless of what size boat or speed....

The bottom line is, education is the KEY! This May, The NTSB has issued a Safety Alert urging all states to adopt a mandatory boater education requirement.

Here is the link: http://www.ntsb.gov/alerts/sa%5F007.pdf

According to the NTSB, BOATER EDUCATION WORKS! 80% of recreational boaters involved in an accident NEVER COMPLETED A BOATER SAFETY COURSE!

Of particular note is the NTSB Safety Alert makes no mention of speed limits.

NH already has a requirement for a mandatory boater safety course. Unfortunately it doesn't come into full compliance for eveyone until 2008. Alabama is the only state that requires a license to operate a boat. Maybe we should consider reviewing/adopting similar statutes on boater licensing?

Here is a link to an article published this sunday's Concord Monitor.

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/...268&p_docnum=4

Interesting in that speed was not an issue again... I do have an issue with Rusty's comments at the first Public Hearing on HB-162, specifically about responsibility (no need to get into that here). However, I do think that he is right in that both sides are closer than they think. Everyone at the hearings pretty much complained about the same issues. Maybe instead of pushing for a speed limit, the Winnfabs & NHRBA folks could work together to address the real issues on the lake...

Woodsy

Dave

You are missing the fact that as speed increases the distance traveled during the reaction time is greater. A fast boat can cross that same 150' gap in a second or less.

And with the higher planing speed the bow may have been blocking her view of the swimmers. Offshore boats belong offshore.

What type of boat was actually involved??? The article does not mention it. Lets get an answer before people crucify GFBL's again. I heard that the propeller incident was basically a skiff with an outboard, tiller-controlled. Stupid accident!

Islander, do you think that the visibility on a 38' cruiser is any better than on a 38' go fast? I think not. I agree as I always have with Woodsy. It is and always has been the boater not the boat!

We rescued two teenage girls in the middle of the broads near Rattlesnake yesterday who were capsized on a Sunfish. A sunfish that far out with yesterdays wind??? Shear stupidity. No life jackets on and no clue what they were doing.

Islander,

Aubrey didn't state that the boat was getting on plane... he stated that the offending boat it went by his dock on plane, approximately 25' from where some kids were swimming. I made an assumption that the kids were less than 150' from shore, as they (Aubrey & co) were able to get the drivers attention and wave them off....

Now if one were to be educated as to the rules, you cannot get on plane/be on plane within 150' of the shoreline or other objects.... this boater was obviously not paying attention. It doesn't matter what type of boat it was!

Islander, you just plain don't like high performance boats. You are looking at the speed limit as a way to get them off the lake. Its unfortunate you have such a bias against high performance boaters.

Woodsy

I have to agree with Dave R. More times than I can count this summer boats have gone by my dock much closer than 150' and every one of them has been a pontoon boat or a bowrider. One Saturday a pontoon boat went by 6 times about 75 feet from shore - I tried waving to him at which point he waved back, came off plane and started plowing (still well above headway)!

Don't blame the boat - on it's own, it wouldn't even be out there! The problem is the operator.

Webmaster close this thread
 

This is getting a little tangled with the gofast bias thing. :(

BroadHopper

This is a fluid discussion of an important topic. Nobody is calling anybody names. No rules are being broken. Why close the thread?