This reminds me of an incident in the Severn River about 15 years ago. It was a busy spring weekend and the Severn was typically packed with boat traffic. On these occasions it is like boating in a washing machine, chaotic, cross-wave chop. We had cleared R2 and were a mile or so into the bay, tacking Bloody Point. Suddenly the VHF lit up with lots of excited traffic - some guy in a homemade go-fast had popped off the top of a liquid mogul in the river and been ejected. While other boaters tended to the MOB, we listened as observers reported the vector of the still speeding boat. Handing off the wheel, I grabbed the binocs and scanned to the west. Sure enough, here came the boat, a ragged multicolor plywood heap making +40 knots, periodically going airborne off the top of 3 foot chop. We watched it pass our quarter and disappear toward Kent Island on the eastern shore. The radio chatter was hilarious as boats dodged the boat missile, throttle wide open, pilotless. Miraculously, no was was hit. Then a few minutes later came the announcement; the boat had run ashore on Kent, driving itself well above high water. Suddenly there was an explosion and the boat erupted in a fireball. We watched for half an hour as flames turned to sooty smoke and the earth freed itself of one speedboat. The owner was pulled from the water and returned to Eastport where presumably he had 'splaining to do.
