Another Powerboat rams a Sailboat

[John Nantz]

Last night, July 16th, on Lake Washington offshore from Seattle, a powerboat rams a sailboat resulting in one woman killed and two seriously injured on the sailboat and one woman with minor injuries on the powerboat.

The sailboat was reported at being 21-feet long and had seven people onboard.

If this accident sounds familiar, like the one on Clear Lake in California, it is.

You can bet the defense will be checking to see if they can find something illegal on the sailboat.

The shoreline surrounding the area where the collision took place is urban and very high density, hence, figure on lots of lights on the shore, including stoplights that turn red and green, neon lights and signs.

The running lights on the sailboat would be very hard to compete with the background light pollution.

Link to one news article: http://www.bnd.com/2014/07/17/3305921/seattle-2-boats-collide-on-lake.html

Let's see how this settles out.

Edit: Here is another link to the news. http://threesheetsnw.com/blog/2014/07/46966/ and at the bottom of the article they have a link to new developments.
http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today...tical-after-boating-crash-on-lake-washington/
The powerboat was 25-feet. Of the 7 people on the sailboat, three of them fell into the water (which is VERY cold).
The powerboat appears to have broadsided the sailboat but details aren't clear.

 

[Jackdaw]

Can I suggest that we keep this topic (starting with the title) less pejorative until the facts are in?

 

[Stu Jackson]

Jack, why?

I think John's right in reminding us all of the travesty of justice in the Bismark Dinius case.

I used to sail on Clear Lake for four or five years, but never at night, and all our lights worked on our Catalina 22.

Mobos blasting from one side to the other should be banned.

The Clear Lake mobo "driver" was the blinkin' sherriff. Drats.

Too fast, too stupid.

 

[CharlzO]

"A boat operator involved in a collision on Lake Washington that killed one woman and sent two others to the hospital on Wednesday night has been booked into the King County Jail for investigation of homicide, according to Seattle police.

Seattle Police Department spokesman Drew Fowler said the suspect, a 46-year-old from Renton, had been piloting a 25-foot powerboat struck a sailboat off of Leschi. Fowler said Thursday morning that the person operating the sailboat remains under investigation."

Just reading through, sounds like there could possibly be alcohol involved but still no clear picture of exactly how the accident unfolded. Was one stationary? Both moving? Plenty of comments I could make, but until more details are known, would be pure speculation and could be very far off base. Sad to see a life lost in this, no matter how it happened.

 

[seadaddler]

the young woman

I am vacationing up in NY and just got a email from a friend in Punta Gorda
and the parents of the young woman who died in this accident live in Punta Gorda and just am feeling terrible to hear they lost there young daughter.
Our prayers are with them at this terrible time.
Nick

 

[markwesti]

Very sad to hear , Please send all the information to Latitude 38 .

 

[Stu Jackson]

...but still no clear picture of exactly how the accident unfolded. Was one stationary? Both moving? Plenty of comments I could make, but until more details are known, would be pure speculation and could be very far off base.

It might be difficult to understand how a sailboat ran over a powerboat.

 

[CharlzO]

It might be difficult to understand how a sailboat ran over a powerboat.

Depends on the level of intoxication, I would imagine? I can see it happening, though it would definitely be a wtf moment if I came across it. I just wasn't sure if the sailboat was anchored or moored, and the powerboat hit them in that respect, or if they were both under power and it was hit that way, or if sailboat was under sail and was hit broadside. As it was a half mile off shore (if I remember correctly, I didn't go back and re-read it), I guess it could be any of the three depending on how shallow it is that far off shore in that lake.

 

[jimmcgee]

I wonder if it's time for the Coast Guard to revisit the running and steaming light requirements for ALL vessels.

The small running lights on our boats may have been fine when the regs were written, but with the amount of onshore light pollution today our running and steaming lights are easily lost in the clutter.

 

[Scotty C-M]

Another thing to consider is alcohol use by skippers. I know that we all agree that intoxication is dangerous and can have deadly results, but also if there are trace amounts of alcohol (or any intoxicant) that show up in a skipper's blood test after an accident it really complicates matters. My personal choice is to not drink at all when I'm in charge. I'll have a drink or two at the dock, or at anchor. I may be a bit suspendors-and-belt about this, but it does deserve consideration.

 

[mitiempo]

I wonder if it's time for the Coast Guard to revisit the running and steaming light requirements for ALL vessels.

The small running lights on our boats may have been fine when the regs were written, but with the amount of onshore light pollution today our running and steaming lights are easily lost in the clutter.

How would you suggest the lights are changed - keeping in mind that the standards are international?

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Lake Hopatcong has a 10 MPH speed limit on the lake when the sun is down. State Police are more relaxed at dusk regarding the speed limit but it has been pretty strict at full darkness. Light pollution around the lake is significant and I can understand the need for a speed limit on a smaller body of water with a fair amount of traffic at night (bars, restaurants, etc.). Lately, the police have had much less presence on the lake overnight and violation of the speed limit is ignored more blatantly than before.

Does Lake Washington have a speed limit? .... should it? It looks like it has a significant volume of boat traffic. It's simply not feasible to expect that many people on the lake to avoid the bars and restaurants.

 

[Scott B]

Another thing to consider is alcohol use by skippers. I know that we all agree that intoxication is dangerous and can have deadly results, but also if there are trace amounts of alcohol (or any intoxicant) that show up in a skipper's blood test after an accident it really complicates matters. My personal choice is to not drink at all when I'm in charge. I'll have a drink or two at the dock, or at anchor. I may be a bit suspendors-and-belt about this, but it does deserve consideration.

In Ontario, it is linked to your drivers license and carries the same suspensions, fines and jail terms. If you're caught drinking underway in a boat, will result in loss of drivers license etc.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

I know that we all agree that intoxication is dangerous and can have deadly results, but also if there are trace amounts of alcohol (or any intoxicant) that show up in a skipper's blood test after an accident it really complicates matters.

Here in B.C. most power boaters believe their engines won't even start until they've had at least two drinks.

A couple of years back, this drunk killed the houseboat skipper and badly injured nine others.

I sail amongst these idiots on a regualr basis ................... maybe that's why I'm predjudiced.

 

[rfrye1]

Norman Island-Willy T's

Last month while moored at The Bight. We dinked over to Willy T's for a few sundowners and to hang out with the other bareboaters. A few minutes after we arrived, 3-4 25ish foot powerboats with gobs of HP and young happy folks ready to party pulled up from I assume Road Town? Each boat had their own stereo and different type of music competing w the Willy T's. Things got pretty interesting, but I won't go there.....

We left to go back and BBQ on board. It was about 9-10pm and we were sitting out enjoying the evening and we heard the powerboats leaving The Bight. I swear they were going 50kts across the bay! I thought to myself, OMG if there's a dinghy out there it's over. It was so dark. Of course alcohol was involved.

I have often wondered about the nautical lighting system. I do some night sailing when I sail/motor up to Catalina Is from San Diego. Things are great out in the dark ocean, but I tell you, the first time I came back into SD Bay at nite, I was REALLY glad to have a chartplotter and radar. The light pollution was so bad. One of us kept watch with binocs, the other watched GPS and radar. Buoy lights are completely washed out.

A agree, busy urban waterways should have speed limits after sunset. Motoring at 5-6kts it's hard to get out of the way if you can't see em!

Bob

 

[MrBill_FLL]

This is an example why I want all the lights I can muster when I sail (or motor) at night.

On july 4th, we had a 35' contender ram another larger powerboat (carrera), and knock the driver out, so the boat circled and clipped a 3rd boat, a Boston whaler.. 2 died, more injured.


-When we entered Key west harbor at night, it was very hard to pick the boats out... lots of light clutter.

 

[John Nantz]

Beloved School Teacher Killed by Powerboater

Last night on the evening 10pm news I caught the tail-end of the news report about this collision. That part of the report was about how nice the woman was who was killed. As they say, "Nice people finish last" and that is so true here.

Below is some more information about the woman who was killed:

Melissa was from a small town in Wisconsin (~Egg Harbor?) and she went to Australia. She taught middle-school in Ravenna (a Seattle neighborhood). She attended the University of Wisconsin, James Cook University in Queensland, and got her Masters from Seattle University.

"She lived in Seattle with her loyal companion, an Australian shepherd."
“It’s tough when a life is snuffed out like that. We’re the ones worse off,” John Protz said.
The above from this link:
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2024097801_boatcrashxml.html

Best news video I could find, King5 news: http://www.king5.com/video?id=267505571&sec=548902&ref=rcvidmod

 

[John Nantz]

Lake Washington boat speed: 8 mph

According to the King County Code (Lake Washington is in King County, and so is Seattle) the maximum boat speed is 8 mph.

And personal watercraft are considered vessels and must comply.
Above is a summary (hence, the boat and vessel terminology) from the code on the King County web site.

http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/lakes/facts/boating.aspx

Edit: ON the evening news it was reported that guy was going an estimated 50 mph and the attorney for the powerboat (some news reports are using the term speedboat and a few are using the term motor boat) operator said he (the skipper) "was very sorry".

The sailboat's skipper is still in critical condition.

The news report also said "that no one was injured in the powerboat" which is a little different from earlier reports when they said that one person had minor injuries.

 

[CharlzO]

Why do I get the feeling that there are plenty of people who are ignorant of such a limit on the lake? A powerboat or PWC on a lake, and not going over that? Riiiiight.

 

[Benny17441]

Very sad. We grew up early on with a healthy concern for making ourselves visible when sailing at night in busy waterways. Clearly remember shinning a torch for hours at our main sail while underway. I do not hear this concern for visibility being discussed anymore and find the discussions leaning towards regulations governing navigation lights. As we know under certain conditions navigation lights can be mistaken or inadequate to broadcast your position and course. We now have powerboats moving at 30+ knots and not following any navigation channels or lanes. We were taught it was our responsibility to ourselves to make a sure as possible that we would be seen at night. Pointing lights at the sails and flashing torches at our topsides may not be Coast Guard approved signaling but can enhance safety. Look at cruise ships that look like a lighted building and would be hard for anyone to confuse them with anything other than a cruise ship. We need to learn from these unfortunate accidents to protect ourselves.