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DoTheMath · 08-07-2007, 11:44 AM

It seems that the feeling of some here has been the boater was "automatically" in the wrong for striking the kayak because they were not paying proper attention while underway!? As a background note - I have been on this lake for 38 years (Since I was 10 mo. old.) and my friends and I grew up having spent countless summer nights out in our boats, big - small - fast - slow - you name it... We have a standing rule, one driver and one "spotter", four eyes are always better than two. Short of running with your spotlight on at headway speed from point A to point B - at night - you will be hard-pressed to "see" any unlit object sitting 12" off the water, even with fighter pilot vision! What a load of garbage! You're telling me that some knuckle-head decides to go out in a small, low-slung, UNLIT vessel, crossing into traveled waterways and has the slightest expectation that they will be SAFE from any motor vessel under way!? What in gods name would give anyone the slightest bit of comfort in thinking that's a good idea!? Yes, you go out at night (or during the day) and you as the owner / operator assume TOTAL responsibility for operating your boat in a safe and prudent manner - that is ALL boaters, and ALL boats, ALL the time. Yes, the Kayakers were VERY lucky they weren't killed, but the boat operator should be praised for doing their best to allow them to live a bit longer, and yet - they have to live with the nightmares of what "could have been". At the end of the day, the kayakers got off easy and very lucky - and they should awake every morning and thank god that boat operator saved their lives! We don't need speed limits, this is one more case of where we need better boater education, cuz as I have read 100x here - you can't fix stupid, but you can educate against it!

08-07-2007, 11:44 AM	#168
DoTheMath Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: MA / Moultonborough Posts: 146 Thanks: 46 Thanked 43 Times in 18 Posts	OK, let me rephrase... It seems that the feeling of some here has been the boater was "automatically" in the wrong for striking the kayak because they were not paying proper attention while underway!? As a background note - I have been on this lake for 38 years (Since I was 10 mo. old.) and my friends and I grew up having spent countless summer nights out in our boats, big - small - fast - slow - you name it... We have a standing rule, one driver and one "spotter", four eyes are always better than two. Short of running with your spotlight on at headway speed from point A to point B - at night - you will be hard-pressed to "see" any unlit object sitting 12" off the water, even with fighter pilot vision! What a load of garbage! You're telling me that some knuckle-head decides to go out in a small, low-slung, UNLIT vessel, crossing into traveled waterways and has the slightest expectation that they will be SAFE from any motor vessel under way!? What in gods name would give anyone the slightest bit of comfort in thinking that's a good idea!? Yes, you go out at night (or during the day) and you as the owner / operator assume TOTAL responsibility for operating your boat in a safe and prudent manner - that is ALL boaters, and ALL boats, ALL the time. Yes, the Kayakers were VERY lucky they weren't killed, but the boat operator should be praised for doing their best to allow them to live a bit longer, and yet - they have to live with the nightmares of what "could have been". At the end of the day, the kayakers got off easy and very lucky - and they should awake every morning and thank god that boat operator saved their lives! We don't need speed limits, this is one more case of where we need better boater education, cuz as I have read 100x here - you can't fix stupid, but you can educate against it!