accident

[rps]

2 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

For those of you that have never been to this location, please keep quiet.  Two row boats could collide here in the right situation and it takes almost nothing for one boat to ride up over the other boat. If your hull is 1 inch higher than the other object momentum is going to take the means of less resistance at most any speed and cause you to lift over the other object, instead of breaking thru it.

This is the case weather the object be a dock another boat a log floating in the water or your trailer at the ramp.  Slick hulled boats are either gliding over the top or airborne, just a matter of physics.

Son Steven and I were there at 9:30 and the MSHP was working the scene.  

This is a hairpin turn by the Emerald Beach ramp just below Viney Creek.  One of the drivers was cutting the hair pin on the WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD.

The lake is wide enough there to not be a problem, however you can cut the hairpin if you are headed up stream and it looked like this is what happened.  You cannot see around that corner as it is a bluff bank.

Conditions on the lake at the time were wonderful.  No fog, full visibility and beautiful.  Really no boat traffic at all yesterday in the upper white.

  Someone screwed up.  Be just like you or I deciding to get in the truck and go around every inside blind corner or curve on the wrong side of the road.instead of staying in the outside or our own lane.

Terrible shame.

I know that location well and can see how two boats running at speed could suddenly be on each other right there at the ramp.

 

[Phil Lilley]

I know I'm stating the obvious to boaters who know... it's boating 101.

Port to Port.

I see ppl on this lake all the time cutting across to my right instead of staying on their right.  They see a straighter line instead of staying port to port.  They don''t know.

We balk at the boater's license here at the marina because there's a lot of young adults that want to rent a boat and can't  because we can't issue the temp license - because they've already  been issued one (that's the limit - one) and they won't take the time to get the real license.  But may be everyone should be required to take some kind of simple exam of basic boating navigation.

[garyw]

being close to a ramp like that shouldn't there be a wake zone with markers?

[fishinwrench]

4 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

For those of you that have never been to this location, please keep quiet.

Oh!  Well excuse me!  🤐    And excuse whoever started this thread!  

Thinking about, and talking about fatal boating accidents makes you a safer boater.   

Were you familiar with the location where one rowboat completely ran over another? 🙄

[fishinwrench]

58 minutes ago, Phil Lilley said:

I know I'm stating the obvious to boaters who know... it's boating 101.

Port to Port.

I see ppl on this lake all the time cutting across to my right instead of staying on their right.  They see a straighter line instead of staying port to port.  They don''t know.

We balk at the boater's license here at the marina because there's a lot of young adults that want to rent a boat and can't  because we can't issue the temp license - because they've already  been issued one (that's the limit - one) and they won't take the time to get the real license.  But may be everyone should be required to take some kind of simple exam of basic boating navigation.

I got completely shunned from the Marine Dealers association for initiating serious discussion on this.  Even though I never wanted to participate in their crap to begin with.  They begged me to join in the first place.  

[rps]

1 hour ago, garyw said:

being close to a ramp like that shouldn't there be a wake zone with markers?

The ramp is an unimproved ramp used by the locals. It is not a corps ramp and there is no swim beach.

[Bill Babler]

Every accident is not excessive speed.  That is a totally blind hairpin corner if your traveling on the wrong side of the lake your risking an accident just like driving on the wrong side of the hiway..  As Phil pointed out rules of the road were not observed here.

The ramp there is a ramp that can be used by anyone, and the Corps pointed this out when they closed Viney for a period.  It is however mostly used by the Emerald Point subdivision and in reality about 1 boat per day is launched there even on a Summer weekend.

With the location of the ramp near the blind corner it could be possible to hit a boat being launched however if you are that close there is pole timber just to the upstream side of the ramp and you would really have to cut the bluff close.  You would however be in the correct lane staying to your right.

In this accident the person cutting that corner from downstream going up made the mistake, and it is that simple.  Stay on your side of the lake and that is not going to happen.

I have been around that blind corner perhaps thousands of times and always stay in my own lane, it is entirely common sense  and the speed I go around there is not a factor unless your driving on the wrong side of the pond.

[fishinwrench]

24 minutes ago, Bill Babler said:

Every accident is not excessive speed. 

If you aren't looking at what's in front of you.., any speed is excessive.

When in an area where you can't clearly see..., any speed where you can't stop or turn to avoid an object immediately is excessive.

"Excessive" is relative.  To say that the incident couldn't have been avoided if traveling slower, is absurd.  Of course speed was a factor. It is the main factor in any collision. 

 

[Hunter53]

Horrible news!! Prayers for all involved.

[fishinwrench]

26 minutes ago, Bill Babler said:

 

With the location of the ramp near the blind corner it could be possible to hit a boat being launched

Only if your going too fast to notice, react, and avoid it. 😅