Almost took a life Saturday

[marcoalza]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

I don't think he is clueless at all. I have a feeling he won't be going 30-35 MPH at night anymore either. Lessons learned!

Good Point Bruce, I'm sure OP won't and proof that 30 - 35 MPH at night is not advisable and was wrong.
Normally take 2 parties to cause an accident, if we eliminate 1..........

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

My only concern is the speed after dark, but because of trees floating in the lake, could sink a boat fast

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

Anyone on a lake at night with no way to properly make themselves easily seen is asking for it in my opinion. You don't stand in the middle of the road at night do you?

" 30-35 mph... let me guess, you were mainly watching the GPS instead of where you were actually going." <--- Give me a break. One quick look at the tachometer or speedometer could have given you the 30-35 MPH range.

You do remember we're talking about little kids and not adults, right?

I was talking about watching the GPS for course plotting and not speed, so many people have become so dependent on their GPS course they have their eyes glued to the chart instead of watching where they're actually going. I was almost run over in a pea soup for by a couple of guys in a bass boat going way too fast for the ambient conditions because they were watching that LCD screen instead of paying attention to what may be in front of them.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

regarding the proliferation of Kayaks by the inexperienced - this commercial sums it up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehFYAkC7CJs

I personally think anyone that goes on the water be it kayak, canoe, row boat, sail boat or power boat should have proper training. A group of adults having a party should have the common sense as well not to let kids go out in kayaks at night, even if they had lights and PFD's.

You do remember we're talking about little kids and not adults, right?

I was talking about watching the GPS for course plotting and not speed, so many people have become so dependent on their GPS course they have their eyes glued to the chart instead of watching where they're actually going. I was almost run over in a pea soup for by a couple of guys in a bass boat going way too fast for the ambient conditions because they were watching that LCD screen instead of paying attention to what may be in front of them.

I remember going out fishing one day on a friends pontoon in a 960 acre lake. it was pea soup fog. went out to where I normally fish using the GPS. could hear boats driving around. then I heard two different motors followed by crunch about 30 yards off the starboard side, could see none were watching in front of them, they were watching their hand-held GPS's

 

[southkogs]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

You do remember we're talking about little kids and not adults, right?

That's actually the worst part of this whole gig: Some knucklehead parent thought it was a good idea to send their kids out in the dark without any marking. Say what you sill about scrim's speed, but the reality is that even at no wake those kids could've been hurt.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

That's actually the worst part of this whole gig: Some knucklehead parent thought it was a good idea to send their kids out in the dark without any marking. Say what you sill about scrim's speed, but the reality is that even at no wake those kids could've been hurt.

Yep. Ten to fifteen hammered adults allowing a couple of youngsters to paddle kayaks unsupervised around 11:00 p.m. in a wake zone with nothing to make them visible. Great job, "adults", and I use the term loosely.

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

The longer you live the more likely you will encounter the unexpected.
My mom used to say, "we get so soon old and so late smart".

Having encountered a number of unexpected situations in my years, I make the distinction between legal and sensible on a regular basis...

BTW- don't know who came up with it but it seems appropriate for the parents involved-

Vy iz dare zoomany more horziz azziz dinder iz horziz?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

I think its great that he shared his experience here. May save someones life in the future when one is tempted to go faster than is really safe at night after reading this.

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

That's why they call them "accidents" and not "intentionals":facepalm:

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

Bruce B, good point.
The lake where I boat just started a night speed limit 4 years ago, it's fast enough (25mph) to get you where you need to be, so no problem.
And to you all, in a known lake that "never" has floating debris you could night run at planing speed. I used to do it on the way home from work, late at night, about once a week. But never near shore, and always with a moon or starlight reflection off the flat water down the center of the ten mile wide lake.
Of course, that was in 1988, the only kayaks we saw then belonged to preppy sporty types, and dedicated aqua athletes. Most of them had a clue as to safety, they'd wear bright pfds etc.

 

[DLB68]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

Headlights Illegal ? lord have mercy on me ..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpZjwwys-JY .. and just think . the tailfins , would be awesome with lights inside them lmao

 

[TerryMSU]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

Headlights Illegal ? lord have mercy on me ..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpZjwwys-JY .. and just think . the tailfins , would be awesome with lights inside them lmao

On boats, yes they are indeed illegal.

TerryMSU

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

I have been letting my nerves settle the last couple weeks due to something that happened to us while taking my Sister in Law out for the day.

Thursday, obviously a slow day on the lake, were cruising along about 45 MPH about 150' away from another boat that I was pacing, when the other boat makes a very evasive manuever knowing I am starboard and off his stern he turns hard to port and dodges a jetskier approaching from his port bow that was simply oblivious and now directly in my path, very little time to react and I had no idea he was even coming since my view of the Jet Skier was blocked by the other boat, we survived as did the young man on the jet ski but not without the butt chewing he deserved, I guess I will never understand why some people simply do not understand simple physics, one young man on a jet ski, driving perpendicular to traffic and drives into the path of two 25'+ boats at speed, I seriously do not know if even after his butt chewing in front of his friends, that he had done anything wrong.

Ladies and gentlemen, please be safe out there, I realize that our emotions sometimes get the better of us but lets be honest, I seriously doubt any of us would be ok taking the life of another when stupidity gets in the way.

 

[DLB68]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

A M E N ! ! ! LippCJ7

 

[jcb996]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

Last year i was driving a car late afternoon still light out, doing 30 in a 35 , look up a 5 year old runs out in front of me, i was able to stop by 2 feet, if i hit this boy i would never forgave myself, i parked knocked on the door a lady answerd the door. I told her the boy was in the street and she ask me what was wrong?! I called the police and the informed her what the problem was with her allowing her 5 year old in the street, her reply was car drivers should be carefull and watch for children, the officer told her! He would be keeping an eye out to see if she allowed it again

 

[mandopickr]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

I have to run 12-14 miles at night on a regular basis during the summer. I run about 25 mph. So Terry, how fast do I go? Or do you expect me to treat those miles as one really big no-wake zone?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

no one can say what is "safe speed at night." No one. It is all situational. At home, I boat at night from what is the same as a residential lake, to a river, through a commercial harbor, under bridges, and out to "off shore." What is "safe" changes with the scenery.

Driving fast is risky; driving slow is risky; driving at all is risky. Driving safe does not eliminate risk; it only reduces it. And just like cars on the highway, a boat going too slow often can cause more danger than one going faster.

So let's stop judging the OP's initial speed, except for anyone who was riding with him that night.

As for the children (they were not kayakers in the true sense): I think I may have put them in my boat and taken them to shore. Clearly they weren't safe out there, and they weren't old enough to know better. I'm generally not a busy body and believe in letting people make their own decisions and live with the consequences, but there are exceptions and children's lives are more important. And here, I bet the children were scared and would have actually been relieved.

What the parents and other adults did was inexecusable. Perhaps even criminal.

 

[TerryMSU]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

I have to run 12-14 miles at night on a regular basis during the summer. I run about 25 mph. So Terry, how fast do I go? Or do you expect me to treat those miles as one really big no-wake zone?

Frankly, the question is not what speed I expect you to go. There are two questions you should be asking. 1. What is a safe speed to be running after dark (or at any time)? 2. What does the law say (or am I willing to take a chance on picking up a ticket)? BTW, as I think back, there are cases where I have run full throttle at 30MPH after shortly after sunset. The situation was one where I was very sure that there was no chance of me putting someone at risk. I am sure the original poster was also sure that he was not putting someone at risk at the time. It appears from my viewpoint that he might have been wrong. Perhaps I was also wrong. I can tell you that had I killed someone it would have permanaently ended my boating and to me that is just not worth it.

TerryMSU

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

I do a lot of night fishing and it is very common to run across boats with lights out and several sitting anchored or even tied to navagation bouys in the dark. Its sad really, the boat owners dont seam to care and the DNR sure dont.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Almost took a life Saturday

Frankly, the question is not what speed I expect you to go. There are two questions you should be asking. 1. What is a safe speed to be running after dark (or at any time)? 2. What does the law say (or am I willing to take a chance on picking up a ticket)?

I totally agree with Terry on this.

You never know what you are going to be coming upon at 30 MPH in the dark. Could be a boat without lights or just a log, neither of which you want to hit and no way you would be able to avoid.