Trawler accident in Elliot Key
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Moonstruck
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WOW! How tragic. Thanks for posting. Elliot Key and Boca Chita can be partying places on almost any weekend. This was a holiday weekend with probably all the crazies in Miami on the water. The Scout capt. probably didn't know what an anchor light signifies. He will now. He will probably be charged with a homicide if he survived. Just a horrible waste.
healhustler
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Ive said it before. ..the holiday anchorages around Miami are like figure eight races. Key Biscayne reported tbejr third party deatb on Mashta Flats recently from a Radko-DJ public party on the sandbar. The place is dangerous.
Ski in NC
Technical Guru
Found this link that gave some detail:
1 dead, 2 injured after boating collision - WSVN-TV - 7NEWS Miami Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Deco
1 dead, 2 injured after boating collision - WSVN-TV - 7NEWS Miami Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Deco
And alcohol likely involved. I saw it worse on the lake than coastal, but the mixture of alcohol and boating is completely out of control. We really need more serious penalties and more enforcement. It's even more frequent than on the highways and much too much there as well.
Northern Spy
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Looks like a Gulfstar to me.
Moonstruck
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Looks like an Atlantic 37 to me.
Mule
Guru
Ain't nuthin like having a few then goin huntin, high speed boatin, motorcycle racin. Right Bubba..... Last words, Hey Ma, watch this.
Truly tragic, makes ya wonder why and what they were thinking or more likely lack of thinking was going on.
Truly tragic, makes ya wonder why and what they were thinking or more likely lack of thinking was going on.
What? Alcohol involved in a boating accident? I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you!
According to the report the small boat was heading into a dock. At a speed fast enough to kill one of his passengers, and seriously injure the other?
We see it up here in Seattle on Lake Washington every weekend during the summer. There are parts of the Lake we just stay away from during the summer.
According to the report the small boat was heading into a dock. At a speed fast enough to kill one of his passengers, and seriously injure the other?
We see it up here in Seattle on Lake Washington every weekend during the summer. There are parts of the Lake we just stay away from during the summer.
It's a very sad story really.
A beautiful 37 year old girl died.
Two men will be scared for life.
Yes, alcohol was probably part of the tragic mix, but so was not realizing that boating is not a careless endeavor, but one that requires planning, learning, responsibility, respect, etc.
Night cruising is not easy. Lights and distances can play a trick on your senses EVEN if you are not drunk.
I can see it very easy for an inexperienced boater to have an accident at night.
Add a bit of alcohol and the chances just went up ten fold.
A beautiful 37 year old girl died.
Two men will be scared for life.
Yes, alcohol was probably part of the tragic mix, but so was not realizing that boating is not a careless endeavor, but one that requires planning, learning, responsibility, respect, etc.
Night cruising is not easy. Lights and distances can play a trick on your senses EVEN if you are not drunk.
I can see it very easy for an inexperienced boater to have an accident at night.
Add a bit of alcohol and the chances just went up ten fold.
Moonstruck
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Yes, a beautiful lady's life was snuffed out. Hopefully, she left no children motherless. Those were 3 mature adults-----not inexperienced kids. The report said that the trawler was properly lighted. The evidence of alcohol and high speed running at night was in my opinion careless and reckless. The whole thing was a tragedy in the Greek sense. The wheels had started in motion, and there was no one to stop it.
Sure looks like a Prairie 36 or Atlantic 37 (same as mine.)
I use those lawn LED lights, or leave on the deck lights, when anchored any place where other boats may miss the anchor light way up on the mast.
Glad to hear those on board the trawler were OK, but still, tragic loss for all involved.
I use those lawn LED lights, or leave on the deck lights, when anchored any place where other boats may miss the anchor light way up on the mast.
Glad to hear those on board the trawler were OK, but still, tragic loss for all involved.
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Northern Spy
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We left Elliott Key about ten that morning. If I am not mistaken, we were anchored just a few hundred yards south of the boat that was struck. If that's the case, we were both about 3/4 mile off shore, about mid-island, west of the little harbor and ranger station. Here's a link to our position:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=25.455311,-80.211965
If anyone has the actual coordinates of the collision, please post them.
This is the boat that was anchored just north of us. It's a grainy image, cut and enlarged from a larger panorama. But I remember it was about a 36' trawler, and even in the grainy photo you can see the same blue stripes, and dark netting attached to the rails:
This was our first visit there, and, of course, there were a LOT of boats out there for the holiday weekend. The slips at the harbor (brand new, BTW, having just re-opened last month after being destroyed by Sandy) were nearly full, and there must have been hundreds of boats near the sandbar at the north end. We (and our fairly distant neighbors -- the trawler pictured and a few sail boats) were pretty far away from it all. We draw 6', so 3/4 mile is about as close as we can come, putting us in about 7' of water.
-Sean
m/y Vector
lying Fort Lauderdale
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=25.455311,-80.211965
If anyone has the actual coordinates of the collision, please post them.
This is the boat that was anchored just north of us. It's a grainy image, cut and enlarged from a larger panorama. But I remember it was about a 36' trawler, and even in the grainy photo you can see the same blue stripes, and dark netting attached to the rails:
This was our first visit there, and, of course, there were a LOT of boats out there for the holiday weekend. The slips at the harbor (brand new, BTW, having just re-opened last month after being destroyed by Sandy) were nearly full, and there must have been hundreds of boats near the sandbar at the north end. We (and our fairly distant neighbors -- the trawler pictured and a few sail boats) were pretty far away from it all. We draw 6', so 3/4 mile is about as close as we can come, putting us in about 7' of water.
-Sean
m/y Vector
lying Fort Lauderdale
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com
Marlinmike
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Terrible avoidable accident, the operators life will be changed forever.
High Wire
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Prairie 36 or Atlantic 37 depending on the year. Looks more like the Atlantic.
psneeld
Guru
Any proven facts that can show where it was avoidable so we all can learn????
While not good...the jury/investigation is still out to what actually happened...
Most everything else is speculation...
If it comes back BWI and or/manslaughter...pile on/... till then the participants are innocent till proven guilty.
Marlinmike
Guru
I see we are in confrontational mode now.
Yes, obvious damage to front of the boat shows he was traveling at a speed not safe due to limited visibility.
The arresting officer smelled alcohol on the operators breath which allowed for taking a blood sample. Sure maybe he took cough medicine...
This is a forum which last I looked it is about posting our THOUGHTS!
Yes, obvious damage to front of the boat shows he was traveling at a speed not safe due to limited visibility.
The arresting officer smelled alcohol on the operators breath which allowed for taking a blood sample. Sure maybe he took cough medicine...
This is a forum which last I looked it is about posting our THOUGHTS!
psneeld
Guru
Questions aren't confrontational any more than news reports are accurate.
Damage (especially one quick internet photo) doesn't prove speed unless you are a trained boat accident investigator who has done the forensic calculations.
Alcohol may have been involved but not necessarily a contributing factor.
Just hoping that people on my jury aren't so quick to decide...just MY thoughts....
Damage (especially one quick internet photo) doesn't prove speed unless you are a trained boat accident investigator who has done the forensic calculations.
Alcohol may have been involved but not necessarily a contributing factor.
Just hoping that people on my jury aren't so quick to decide...just MY thoughts....
Marlinmike
Guru
This does not require forensic specialist to know a women has been killed and the front of the boat is missing a large part of it to know that they were not traveling at 7 knots. Thus he was at a speed not suitable for the conditions.
So yes tragic and avoidable.
This is a FORUM not a court of law.
So yes tragic and avoidable.
This is a FORUM not a court of law.
psneeld
Guru
I'll go along with "innocent until proven guilty," but I have to say what little evidence we have (admittedly much of it from the notoriously flawed media) doesn't make a good case for the smaller boat.
1) Colliding with an ANCHORED boat.
2) Anchored boat reported showing appropriate lighting.
3) Going fast enough to damage the bow AND kill a passenger.
4) Going that fast late at night.
5) Going that fast in a place that we know, from first-hand reports, was crowded.
6) Sufficient evidence of drinking that police took a blood alcohol level test.
Take all that together with our own personal experiences of how some boaters behave on the water, particularly less experienced small boat operators.
Certainly this is not enough to convict anybody. But I'd be willing to bet a fairly decent sum on the eventual outcome.
This IS a forum, and not a court of law. If anyone has an angle on this that we haven't explored yet, I'd love to hear it. I would really like to be proven wrong on this one.
1) Colliding with an ANCHORED boat.
2) Anchored boat reported showing appropriate lighting.
3) Going fast enough to damage the bow AND kill a passenger.
4) Going that fast late at night.
5) Going that fast in a place that we know, from first-hand reports, was crowded.
6) Sufficient evidence of drinking that police took a blood alcohol level test.
Take all that together with our own personal experiences of how some boaters behave on the water, particularly less experienced small boat operators.
Certainly this is not enough to convict anybody. But I'd be willing to bet a fairly decent sum on the eventual outcome.
This IS a forum, and not a court of law. If anyone has an angle on this that we haven't explored yet, I'd love to hear it. I would really like to be proven wrong on this one.
psneeld
Guru
To be fair...and you do a reasonable analysis and would probably win the bet...
1. anchored boat was reported to be showing proper lighting...we need to verify though that it was visible from the approaching vessel as many anchor lights aren't.
2. a person can lose their footing, slip, hit their head on a sharp object and die....any speed or just rocking can cause that...forensics necessary.
3. Actual speed undetermined, on scene evidence not enough to determine "safe speed" only the result which may be enough in the long run but not for now.
4. Haven't seen a definitive crash location with forensic drawing placing traffic surrounding accident.... picture of boat in distance wouldn't preclude a reasonable speed which could have easily cause the damage in the other picture (doesn't take much).
5. The police would take a blood alcohol with ANY amount suspected...just because it's present doesn't automatically make it a "causal factor".
I have my reasons for being picky about facts...if people want to speculate fine...but don't expect it to go unopposed (not you Capt Tom as you stated right up front that guilt is TBD).
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Fair enough. You've always been a voice of reason here and I can't disagree with a single point.
I once saw a pretty bad head wound on someone who just slipped on a step going from the helm to the cockpit.
I sincerely hope, for the sake of all involved, that it turns out to be something that simple. I'd still bet against it though.
caltexflanc
Guru
If the guy who posted his position is right (welcome, by the way!), that is way out of the ICW or any other course someone would be taking north. We have anchored there many many times, it is a huge anchorage. I can see where someone not paying attention would miss a small anchor light in a wide open space; but if they were all the way over there, it's just another demerit in their case along with the not paying attention part.
