http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miam...y/1137971.html

I know the article states that charges could be pending, but just from
what is gathered by the article, there's a lot that isn't known.

the victims were fishing way off shore at about midnight. Nothing is
said about proper nav. lights or at least lighting in general , or
night visability conditions..

At least the people that rammed them hailed for help and stayed around
to search.

but any way you look at it, , it still isn't good.

On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:34:50 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miam...y/1137971.html

I know the article states that charges could be pending, but just from
what is gathered by the article, there's a lot that isn't known.

the victims were fishing way off shore at about midnight. Nothing is
said about proper nav. lights or at least lighting in general , or
night visability conditions..

At least the people that rammed them hailed for help and stayed around
to search.

but any way you look at it, , it still isn't good.

Not enough information to tell, but by the rather vague
"investigating", it would appear that it was what it was - an
accident.

The first thing law enforcement would look for is evidence of alcohol
involvement (or drugs) and nothing was said about that. Based on the
story, the fact that they were able to execute a quick turn and
recover a passenger would seem to indicate that they had control of
their vessel.

I've had something similar happen to me a couple of times. Once I was
a couple of miles out of the East Passage to Narraganset Bay - dark
night, small boat with one of those dinky anchor lights on a pole and
three guys standing fishing - no power and the light was dim. If it
wasn't for the fact that the boat swung with the wind, I might have
not seen them until it was too late and run them over even though I
wasn't running the Contender at speed.

Another time was on Webster lake. Small aluminum boat, anchor light
lost against the shoreline lights, dark night, etc.

I have very good night vision and I always wear high contrast yellow
glasses when driving or fishing at night and can see really well even
when it's super dark so it can happen.

In article ,
says...

On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:34:50 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miam...y/1137971.html

I know the article states that charges could be pending, but just from
what is gathered by the article, there's a lot that isn't known.

the victims were fishing way off shore at about midnight. Nothing is
said about proper nav. lights or at least lighting in general , or
night visability conditions..

At least the people that rammed them hailed for help and stayed around
to search.

but any way you look at it, , it still isn't good.

Not enough information to tell, but by the rather vague
"investigating", it would appear that it was what it was - an
accident.

The first thing law enforcement would look for is evidence of alcohol
involvement (or drugs) and nothing was said about that. Based on the
story, the fact that they were able to execute a quick turn and
recover a passenger would seem to indicate that they had control of
their vessel.

I've had something similar happen to me a couple of times. Once I was
a couple of miles out of the East Passage to Narraganset Bay - dark
night, small boat with one of those dinky anchor lights on a pole and
three guys standing fishing - no power and the light was dim. If it
wasn't for the fact that the boat swung with the wind, I might have
not seen them until it was too late and run them over even though I
wasn't running the Contender at speed.

Another time was on Webster lake. Small aluminum boat, anchor light
lost against the shoreline lights, dark night, etc.

I have very good night vision and I always wear high contrast yellow
glasses when driving or fishing at night and can see really well even
when it's super dark so it can happen.


I have a one word answer.... a get out of jail card, if you will....
RADAR.

On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:06:24 -0400, Gene Kearns
wrote:

I have a one word answer.... a get out of jail card, if you will....
RADAR.

That one off East Passage I never saw on radar - it was lost in
clutter and by the time I got close enough to get a strong return, it
would have been too late.

On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:49:52 -0400, Gene
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:33:41 -0400, Wizard of Woodstock
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:06:24 -0400, Gene Kearns
wrote:

I have a one word answer.... a get out of jail card, if you will....
RADAR.

That one off East Passage I never saw on radar - it was lost in
clutter and by the time I got close enough to get a strong return, it
would have been too late.

That being the case, I can only recommend "Preparation H!"

Heh...

As you know, radar can look behind structure and land masses. One time
I was heading up the Stonington Channel to the Watch Hill Yacht club
to put in over night. Visibility was down to about 1/2 mile and
decreasing - I was just moving along at about 15 knots and as I
approached Napatree Point, I took a close look at the radar - didn't
see anything at first, but I looked a little closer and just saw what
I thought was part of the beach move a little.

Let me explain about Napatree Point - the channel at that place is
about 13 feet wide at low tide - the green buoy marks the exact size
of the channel as opposed to the flats which are about two feet deep
at extreme low tide which this was - the red buoy is actually Napatree
Point.

Anyway, discretion the better part of valor, I sounded my horn, didn't
hear anything, couldn't see anything behind the dunes, radar still
didn't show anything significant, but I waited anyway.

Around comes a dragger - Miss Martha which is the biggest dragger out
of Pawcatuck - 90 foot low profile, mid-ship pilot house - state of
the art. Miss Martha's captain was as surprised as I was - we talked
about it on ch 13.

Neither one of us thought to check the local working channel. :)

Use all the tools at your disposal was the lesson that day. :)

On Jul 14, 9:47*pm, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:49:52 -0400, Gene

wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:33:41 -0400, Wizard of Woodstock
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:06:24 -0400, Gene Kearns
wrote:

I have a one word answer.... a get out of jail card, if you will....
RADAR.

That one off East Passage I never saw on radar - it was lost in
clutter and by the time I got close enough to get a strong return, it
would have been too late.

That being the case, I can only recommend "Preparation H!"

Heh...

As you know, radar can look behind structure and land masses. One time
I was heading up the Stonington Channel to the Watch Hill Yacht club
to put in over night. *Visibility was down to about 1/2 mile and
decreasing - I was just moving along at about 15 knots and as I
approached Napatree Point, I took a close look at the radar - didn't
see anything at first, but I looked a little closer and just saw what
I thought was part of the beach move a little.

Let me explain about Napatree Point - the channel at that place is
about 13 feet wide at low tide - the green buoy marks the exact size
of the channel as opposed to the flats which are about two feet deep
at extreme low tide which this was - the red buoy is actually Napatree
Point.

Anyway, discretion the better part of valor, I sounded my horn, didn't
hear anything, couldn't see anything behind the dunes, radar still
didn't show anything significant, but I waited anyway.

Around comes a dragger - Miss Martha which is the biggest dragger out
of Pawcatuck - 90 foot low profile, mid-ship pilot house - state of
the art. *Miss Martha's captain was as surprised as I was - we talked
about it on ch 13.

Neither one of us thought to check the local working channel. *:)

Use all the tools at your disposal was the lesson that day. :)

Well that was a good day that both boats didn't kiss and make up....

On Jul 13, 9:41*pm, Gene wrote:
On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:34:50 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miam...y/1137971.html

I know the article states that charges could be pending, but just from
what is gathered by the article, there's a lot that isn't known.

the victims were fishing way off shore at about midnight. Nothing is
said about proper nav. lights or at least lighting in general , or
night visability conditions..

At least the people that rammed them hailed for help and stayed around
to search.

but any way you look at it, , it still isn't good.

Legal questions will surround whether or not the Hewes was at anchor
or making way or not and what sort of lights it may or may not have
been displaying.

The big question surrounding the Bayliner is whether or not they had a
lookout.

Really bad luck and bad news.....
--


True. I've been out on the lake at night or at least past sunset, and
I even shut my instrument lights off so they're not glaring bak at me.
Ocassionally I flip them on to check the tach, oil pressure and water
temp, but that's at a quick glance then back off they go. Oh yeah, I'm
occasionally lurking around with a hand held 3 mil. candle power light
too.

I feel better at doing so.

better visability.

On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:49:58 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

True. I've been out on the lake at night or at least past sunset, and
I even shut my instrument lights off so they're not glaring bak at me.
Ocassionally I flip them on to check the tach, oil pressure and water
temp, but that's at a quick glance then back off they go. Oh yeah, I'm
occasionally lurking around with a hand held 3 mil. candle power light
too.

If anchored you should be displaying an all around (360 degreee) white
light, otherwise your running lights should be on. Lots of people
run small boats at night with no lights at all but it's almost totally
their fault if hit.

Given the amount of damage and the ejection of occupants, it is easy
to make the case that the Bayliner was traveling at an unsafe speed in
the Miami incident. Very few boats that size have radar but it
really is very helpful at night. Every year boaters get killed or
seriously injured from running into things in the dark.

Gene wrote:
On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:34:50 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miam...y/1137971.html

I know the article states that charges could be pending, but just from
what is gathered by the article, there's a lot that isn't known.

the victims were fishing way off shore at about midnight. Nothing is
said about proper nav. lights or at least lighting in general , or
night visability conditions..

At least the people that rammed them hailed for help and stayed around
to search.

but any way you look at it, , it still isn't good.

Legal questions will surround whether or not the Hewes was at anchor
or making way or not and what sort of lights it may or may not have
been displaying.

The big question surrounding the Bayliner is whether or not they had a
lookout.

Really bad luck and bad news.....



Whatever happened to that sailor on the left coast whose boat was rammed
from behind by a cop in a fast power boat? A passenger in the sailboat
was killed, and the sailor was arrested. Read to me like a typical cop
frame up job.

On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:59:59 -0400, Gene Kearns
wrote:

Somebody posted an update on that a while back. Seems like the wronged
party was making some progress.... I remember it as in the
"heartland," not the left coast....

Here in Iowa we had a cop kill a guy in his bunk, in a designated
anchorage. The cops tried to allege it was somehow the victims fault
for not showing non required lights. We had a drunk run down a boat,
hit it from behind, went over the top of the victim, killing the
driver, and kept right on going. They found the damaged boat and
witnesses to each of the drinks the guy had that night.

Casady