Quote:
Originally Posted by elchase
This guy in TN was " allegedly driving his bass boat at a high rate of speed while intoxicated when he crashed into a pontoon boat", but since he was drinking, I guess his speed was irrelevant (WINK). Luckily, he came out of the accident ok and only killed the lady in the pontoon boat, so he gets to kill again. She was just putting along, so the CG will list this one as a "0-10MPH" fatality and you guys can tell us how this proves that it is more dangerous to go slow in a pontoon boat than it is to go 80 MPH in a bass boat. Which I guess is true on lakes that allow bass boats to go 80 MPH;
http://www.ucmessenger.com/news.php?viewStory=29223
I just don't understand how a website hosting a "debate" about Speed Limits would not want to allow me unlimited posting of all of these high speed boating fatalities. But since I'm only allowed to show you 5 of them a day, I guess I'll just have to keep everyone in suspense until my next window opens. |
Why don't you start your own Winnipesaukee forum and then you can make the rules.
Most people understand that there is a time and a place to go fast in a boat (including a sailboat). When alcohol is injected into the equation, the ability to determine the time and place is skewed and the operator's skills are dulled.
Regarding this story, it was only a little bass boat- aren't you the character who laughed off a fishing boat speeding (as defined by your anecdotes and the NH 150' rule) by you and your son within 10' and then waved and held up a beer?
Yup, it was you:
Quote:
Originally Posted by elchase
I did see one of those Capt Boneheads in a non-GFBL that you guys keep talking about. My son and I were drifting about 25 feet south of the lit buoy off Welch, casting worms at the buoy for bass. A larger boat was coming along south of us, heading east to west with a little hydroplane running next to him on his north side. The bigger boat was going to pass south of us about maybe 100 to 200 feet (who can tell the difference?), and the little boat was heading straight at us. It looked like a little 14-foot or so homemade thing with a 20HP Johnson on it. We could see the smiling driver looking right as us as he approached, so we never got scared, just confused and annoyed. I figured he had to change course a bit and expected that was going to cut just north of the buoy, which would still put him only 30 or 40 feet from us, but to our astonishment, he passes right between us and the buoy. Right over our lines, not more than 10 feet from us at no less than 25 miles an hour. We're holding out our arms in a "what the heck?" gesture, and he gives us a big smile and holds up his beer. I looked at my son and we both broke out laughing. This was stupid enough to be comical. I know people say "10 feet" when it was really 50, but this was 10 feet. I was close enough to the buoy to cast beyond it and this guy split the difference.
But then I realized that never once did I get scared. If the guy had hit us dead-on there certainly would have been some damage but that little thing would not have killed us. I compared this to how heart-stopping-scared I've felt in past situations where I've had big heavy cigarettes coming at me at 60 or 70 miles an hour, even when much further away. Usually you can only see the big hull and wonder whether the driver can see you or is even looking. While this guy was driving as bad, he simply was not putting us at the same risk. His boat was small, and it was only going 25 or so.
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