Boat collides with buoy near CCC

[Benthic2]

https://www.capecod.com/cape-wide-news/breaking-boat-crash-reported-in-wareham/

5 guys on a boat crashed into a buoy on a relatively calm night. I don't get it. it was a good night...the buoy was lighted. Perhaphs the ivestigation will clear things up.

 

[DDW]

Set it as the waypoint?

 

[Benthic2]

not likely....its in the middle of a straight run

 

[Benthic2]

This was a straight shot on a calm night.

 

[Capecodder]

This marker has been hit before. It’s a straight run with large tall fixed markers and floating markers. This one #15 slightly narrows the canal. I’d assume the collision cause, high Speed, lack of experience operating in the dark, distraction....glad the Wareham Team was so quick to the respond

 

[markpierce]

There is much advantage boating at six knots, especially at night. (Low-speed trawlers rule.)

 

[toocoys]

I don't get it. it was a good night...the buoy was lighted.

I could see how this could happen, especially if your buoy's are "lit" like our buoys.

We have telephone poles with triangles on them and "lights" that I swear can't be bigger than a C9 Christmas bulb. They are extremely hard to see until you're right up on them.

 

[psneeld]

The trick with high speed ops at night is knowing where the bouy is supposed to be coming up and concentrating your scan in that area.

The best advice I ever saw about navigation.... It is the art of knowing where you are at all tines and using things like charts and bouys to confirm it.

 

[CaptTom]

Very similar to a tragic event in our area this spring. High-speed collision with a lit buoy at around twilight. Three passengers, all family, (woman and 2 kids) thrown into the buoy and/or water. Two fatalities. Operator behind the wheel, on a 21-foot center console, survived but will have to live with that for the rest of his life.

I've run fast at night (not in this boat!) and it can be done relatively safely. IF the conditions are right and you can maintain the heightened state of awareness required. But it's exhausting. It's hard enough seeing lighted buoys against the shore lights, but logs, debris and deadheads in the water are also a huge risk.

 

[Capecodder]

Today’s update https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20181009/mattapoisett-fire-chief-owns-boat-in-buzzards-bay-crash

This is a ship canal. assuming the vessel was headed west, he had passed Onset a large fixed to rock pile lighted signal, then this floating bell bouy, (may of been lighted?) the next 2 are large tall towers

 

[oscar]

I could see how this could happen, especially if your buoy's are "lit" like our buoys.

We have telephone poles with triangles on them and "lights" that I swear can't be bigger than a C9 Christmas bulb. They are extremely hard to see until you're right up on them.

And maybe the boys were lit too..... Seems to be a recurring theme in these events.

 

[Group9]

The trick with high speed ops at night is knowing where the bouy is supposed to be coming up and concentrating your scan in that area.

The best advice I ever saw about navigation.... It is the art of knowing where you are at all tines and using things like charts and bouys to confirm it.

The trick with high speed ops at night is to realize you are rolling the dice no matter how good you think you are.

There was a professional captain killed in Orange Beach a couple of years ago running fast at night, who missed a turn. Everyone said, "How could that have happened? He's run that channel fast at night a thousand times without a problem."

The problem was, he ran it a thousand and one times.

 

[Bigsfish]

I only navigate at night if I have to and never fast. I prefer under 10 kts just in case there is something just under the surface you can’t see. How many times have you been boating and (during the day with good visibility) you come up on a log or another type of prop inspector that you can avoid because you can see it. Could you see it going fast at night in the dark?

 

[Heron]

Believe it or not, these drunks survived. I was the Fountain Rep at the time and had to do the autopsy (on the boat)...

Leaving a bar at the foot of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at high speed is not recommended....

 

[Shrew]

The boat was owned an operated by a local Fire Chief. Whether alcohol was involved we may never know. Red and Blue tend to protect their own. 5 people on plane up the CCC on a small center console at night. Unfortunately, that recipe often includes alcohol.

 

[psneeld]

The trick with high speed ops at night is to realize you are rolling the dice no matter how good you think you are.

There was a professional captain killed in Orange Beach a couple of years ago running fast at night, who missed a turn. Everyone said, "How could that have happened? He's run that channel fast at night a thousand times without a problem."

The problem was, he ran it a thousand and one times.

Professional die in the daytime too....being professional and being "A" professional are 2 different things.

One more tme at anything doesn't do you in, complacency does and thats where professionalism or keen captaining for rec guys comes in.

 

[Benthic2]

I've been trying to follow this story in hopes of hearing from someone on the boat but none of the reports have included that. I wonder if its lazy journalism, or the boaters aren't talking.

 

[Bigsfish]

SCOTT

Your 100% correct: “One more tme at anything doesn't do you in, complacency does”. COMPLACENCY is key, doing something over and over allows one to become complacent.

 

[oscar]

the boaters aren't talking.

You noticed.

 

[BruceK]

Isn`t it more likely the buoy unshackled itself, doused its light,and moved into the channel; post collision returning to original position and reactivating the light.If so the boat operator could be blameless,save for not checking radar if fitted.

 

[SoWhat]

Not easy to run into a buoy in a narrow channel (unless you have 5 guys chugging beers. No fishing poles in sight) The channel is well marked and you really really want to stay in it. Gets shallow quickly close to the dike. 24' Aquasport CC may not draw much but the buoys come quickly at high speed. Not a lot of time for reaction, especially at night.

 

[CaptTom]

I don't like to state the obvious, but I believe the CCC 5MPH speed limit is in force (and often, enforced) all the way through the Hog Island Channel, and the Cleveland Ledge Channel, too. I know small boats outside the channel are usually ignored, but once you stray inside I believe they start to scold you on the radio, and/or send out the goons.

 

[Group9]

Professional die in the daytime too....being professional and being "A" professional are 2 different things.

One more tme at anything doesn't do you in, complacency does and thats where professionalism or keen captaining for rec guys comes in.

Except you of course. I’m talking about everyone else, the people who do make mistakes. You obviously don’t ever fall into that category.

 

[kenk]

Speed/Excessive Wake
A 10 MPH speed limit and “no excessive wake”
is in effect for Cleveland Ledge and Hog Island
channels and the land cut of the Cape Cod
Canal.

This is what I found when I looked the speed limit up. It also looks like the channel is about 500 feet wide there.
They were not doing 10 MPH when they hit. Speed and most likely booze, not good at night.

 

[CaptTom]

Speed/Excessive Wake
A 10 MPH speed limit and “no excessive wake”
is in effect for Cleveland Ledge and Hog Island
channels and the land cut of the Cape Cod
Canal.

Right, 10 MPH. I knew that. D'oh!

Thanks for keeping me honest!

 

[psneeld]

Except you of course. I’m talking about everyone else, the people who do make mistakes. You obviously don’t ever fall into that category.

I make mistakes that hopefully I correct before they become big problems.

That's what I was always taught and tried to adhere to.

Flying a helo around at sea level at night, at 60 plus knots, no radar or gps makes running a boat at 25 knots with gps and radar seem pretty easy.

When it comes to running a boat at night, I am both highly trained and experienced, so please don't make your limitations mine. It's what I did well, not much else though so take it easy.

 

[AlaskaProf]

Isn`t it more likely the buoy unshackled itself, doused its light,and moved into the channel; post collision returning to original position and reactivating the light.If so the boat operator could be blameless,save for not checking radar if fitted.

AH HAH! Of course. It seems so obvious now. Thank you, Captain Clouseau.

 

[Shrew]

I've been trying to follow this story in hopes of hearing from someone on the boat but none of the reports have included that. I wonder if its lazy journalism, or the boaters aren't talking.

Hence my statement earlier. There are only three parties here to make public statements.

1) The boat owner (Firechief)
2) The vessel passengers (fire chiefs friends)
3) Leo's on the scene at the time of the accident

The press doesn't publish/broadcast follow-up articles when there are no statements or new news being made public. I assume this is the last you will hear of this story.

 

[Capecodder]

Hence my statement earlier. There are only three parties here to make public statements.

1) The boat owner (Firechief)
2) The vessel passengers (fire chiefs friends)
3) Leo's on the scene at the time of the accident

The press doesn't publish/broadcast follow-up articles when there are no statements or new news being made public. I assume this is the last you will hear of this story.

4, In a small town, it’s always who you know. One local paper did post a photo of the Chief in full dress uniform.

 

[O C Diver]

This is one of the reasons I run radar almost all the time. On 1 mile range running at 7 knots, you will see the target for 7+ minutes. So the periodic glace every minute or so reveals a target up ahead.

Ted