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Skipper of the Sea Que · 07-31-2006, 07:24 PM

How could this happen?

The boat and the tube should be at least 150 feet away from shore and docks unless at headway speed. My ski tow line is 75 feet long and my tube tow line is 50 feet long. Even if someone misunderstood the rules and thought that just the boat (not the towed skier or tube) had to observe the 150' rule this should not have happened.

In the "old days" my brother would do a dock start and when he was done he would do a dock stop. As he approached the stationary raft he would toss the tow line and glide to the raft where he would sit down before sinking. The dock start is still allowed but the dock stop we used to do would violate the rules today. By the way, we had a spotter on the raft to alert us to any swimmers or snorkeler just in case we didn't see them as we approached the dock. My brother wouldn't drop a ski he would take it off and hold it then place it on the raft as we went by.

I can not understand how this "accident" happened. Was the tow line over 150 feet long? I doubt it. The boat should have been minimum 150 feet from the dock. With a standard length tow line the tube should not have been close to the dock. Even if the boater misjudged the length of the tow line he has no excuse for misjudging the distance from the boat to the dock. I would be interested in how the boater explains all this.

I do hope all involved recover quickly and without discomfort.

07-31-2006, 07:24 PM	#8
Skipper of the Sea Que Deceased Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: 1/2 way between Boston & Providence Posts: 573 Blog Entries: 3 Thanks: 32 Thanked 55 Times in 22 Posts	How long was the tow line? How could this happen? The boat and the tube should be *at least* 150 feet away from shore and docks unless at headway speed. My ski tow line is 75 feet long and my tube tow line is 50 feet long. Even if someone misunderstood the rules and thought that just the boat (not the towed skier or tube) had to observe the 150' rule this should not have happened. In the "old days" my brother would do a dock start and when he was done he would do a dock stop. As he approached the stationary raft he would toss the tow line and glide to the raft where he would sit down before sinking. The dock start is still allowed but the dock stop we used to do would violate the rules today. By the way, we had a spotter on the raft to alert us to any swimmers or snorkeler just in case we didn't see them as we approached the dock. My brother wouldn't drop a ski he would take it off and hold it then place it on the raft as we went by. I can not understand how this "accident" happened. Was the tow line over 150 feet long? I doubt it. The boat should have been minimum 150 feet from the dock. With a standard length tow line the tube should not have been close to the dock. Even if the boater misjudged the length of the tow line he has no excuse for misjudging the distance from the boat to the dock. I would be interested in how the boater explains all this. I do hope all involved recover quickly and without discomfort. __________________ Amateur HAM Radio What is it? You'll be surprised. When all else fails Ham Radio still works. Shriners Hospitals *providing specialized care for children regardless of ability to pay*. Find out more or refer a patient.