"Capt. Frank Hopkins" wrote:

"My eyes are dead on the kid and he sees the pontoon boat coming. " From
the above quote.


"Then all of
the women on the dock started screaming "Too close" and I saw the kid in
the
tube, headed right for the front of the pontoon boat. The driver had
misjudged or didn't know about the tube "sweeping" wide on the turn."
Slightly earlier in the quote (snipped for brevity)

Also dont you suppose that if some axxhole had driven into a kid tubing
we'd have been told all about it? As the pontoon was tied to the dock it
couldn't have gone far without casting off which isn't even hinted at in
the quote.

Of course if the tube boat driver chose to make a close pass at a dock
that a couple of guys are untying and getting into a pontoon, then he's an
even bigger idiot.
Its possible I guess, and neither of us will know unless there is another
witness or a photo out there.

I have been cut up while leaving and approaching docks a time or two
myself. It doesn't help that small sailboats are very constrained by the
wind as to the approach and departure tracks they can choose and often
have no option to 'abort' without subsequently loosing steerage and
control of the boat. Add to the mix some power boats and/or high speed
rowing craft with little or no apparent understanding of the problems and
likely actions of a sailing dinghy and it can cause 'brown trousers'
inducing near misses or even serious incidents. To add to the enjoyment,
we regularly launch off a ramp on the tidal river Thames. Some of the
commercial traffic is capable of throwing a breaking wash without
exceeding the speed limit and there is often some leisure boating pratt
travelling up river plowing bow high and throwing a wash bigger than the
200 person river cruise boats. It also doesn't help that they are often
convinced they are doing a legal speed by their GPS when they have 3 - 4
knots of the ebb tide against them. Those we 'shop' to the port authority
if we can ID them. If you linger on the ramp you risk your boat being
thrown violently up the ramp either holing it or crushing anyone unlucky
enough to get between it and the ramp. Then we have the rowing sculls.
1, 2 and 4 man sculls that do 12 knots and more and BY DESIGN, HAVE NO WAY
OF LOOKING IN FRONT OF THEM. There is no cox looking forward, all the
rowers of course face aft and they like to row about one or two boats
lengths off the bank to get out of the tide. Why the port authority
doesn't require them to fit mirrors, I dont know. Even when its a coxed
boat they can be a serious hazard, I saw one go under a moored power
catamaran at full speed. It resulted in the write-off of a rowing boat
and a couple of rowers in hospital. If you get hit by one, well the bow
is small enough and pointed enough for anyone who's in the way to be
impaled and it will go right through any hull not made of steel.

IMHO any Axxhole who goes faster than dead slow within 2 boats lengths
(theirs that is, and any tow should count as part of their length) of a
dock or ramp should be prosecuted for reckless endangerment. This in
addition to any regulations concerning wakes and distance from docks.



--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk [at]=@, [dash]=- &
[dot]=.
*Warning* SPAM TRAP set in header, Use email address in sig. if you must.
'Stingo' Albacore #1554 - 15' Uffa Fox designed, All varnished hot moulded
wooden racing dinghy circa. 1961