[parrothead]

I almost "met" 5 teenagers in a unlighted canoe one night. The canoe was seriously overloaded and sitting extremely low in the water. The boat I was driving has a maximum speed of 7-8 knots, and weighed enough that stopping it in a short distance would be impossible. Luckly a house had a spot light shining out from shore and they passed through the beam so they were silhouetted. After they passed the beam they were invisible again. I knew about where they should be and still couldn't see them. I slowed the boat and turned on a spot to find them again. I was coming along Bear Island and was out beyond Dollar Island, I escorted them into the dock at Camp Lawrence. The kids decided to try to make it by canoe from one of the other islands to Bear to visit friends. We called the MP and they came and took the kids home. Had there not been that light beam there was no way that I would see them. Even if it wasn't a law it's just plain stupid to be on the water at night without making yourself visible to passing boat traffic.