I'm not an experienced boater. I had the pleasure of taking control of
a 32' Sun Tracker Party Cruiser. I live in the mid-Hudson Valley. We
were going to a party in this thing in October 2003. The way upriver
was warm. The ride home was chilly. Most people were slightly drunk
except the skipper and I. They were all huddled around a 12 volt heater
that threw off just a little heat. The skipper needed to use the head.
Let's just say it took him about 6-7 minutes... he didn't want to stop
and anchor. He throttles down to a fast idle and says "take over". The
instructions were to stay about the same distance from the shore and to
watch out for other boats, particularly commercial vessles, he'd be
back soon. We were probably doing about 3-4 mph. I've driven this thing
a little in the day, but never at night. The other people on board were
still drinking beer and blasting the stereo. I found this to be very
distracting. I told my friend to never put that level of responsibility
on me again. All I can think of is that pontoon boat in Baltimore that
had the fatality about a year ago. This incident was before that
disaster, but I can't help imagine that this boat is not much different
than the one in Baltimore.