Watch out for crazy boaters!!

[pikerliker]

Last night my wife and few of her girlfriends were out for a lazy boating day on a pontoon on Duck Lake near the town of Madison Lake MN. Well my wife noticed this speed boat pulling a tuber coming towards them at a high rate of speed. She said "I kept thinking OK they are going to see us, they are going to turn". Well long story short she then noticed 2 people sitting in front of the person driving the boat blocking the drivers view while they had their backs to the front of the boat while watching the tube they were pulling still racing straight at the boat my wife is in!

The pontoon my wife was in was just floating so they couldn't fire up and get out of the way so my wife stood up and started screaming at the speedboat now coming straight at them like a missle. The other women in my wife's boat saw the look of panick on her face, then saw the boat racing at them and they too all stood up screaming and waving their arms at this oblivious boat racing at them. Literally at the last second the people in the speedboat heard them, saw them and swerved at the last second just missing them!! Boat full of kids you say? Nope. Boat full of adults. And what do they say when they go by? "Thanks"... Thanks? Really? How about "We are so sorry! Are you guys OK?" How about trying that!??? There was a total of about 3 boats on the lake at the time. So just a heads up for everybody out there, watch out because some others are definitely NOT paying attention to where they are going!!!

Top

[Mike89]

maybe contact the DNR

[FshBloodRiverMud]

Keep an air horn handy. Not much else you can do besides chewing them out for putting your lives at risk.

Like in a vehicle, drive defensively; be prepared to react.

[FshBloodRiverMud]

You wouldn't believe how many times i witness this on the St. Croix.

Air Horn

Spotlight

Be Quick to start up, and MOVE.

[Ufatz]

See my earlier post on the subject of safe boating....this one had to do with kids hanging legs over the bow while the boat operator ran rapidly across the lake.

Frankly, after a few decades of traveling the coast of Alaska by air and by boat, in various sizes and having green water go over the fly bridge a few times(on a 48' pleasure boat!) I have been more alarmed with what I have seen in the lower 48 and especially on the waters of Minnesota. I've seen things that scared hell out of me!! For many many years I have maintained that NOBODY should be allowed to operate a boat on public waters without some at least BASIC training.

It will never happen of course so now we all have to keep heads on a swivel, clearing to the right and the left; watching what is IN the water and what is moving ON the water.

So you guys.......stay OUT of my way!

[ClownColor]

Just curious...what happened to the tubers? You'd think they'd have whipped them right into the pontoon.

[CaptainMusky]

Wondering the same thing as you clown if it was as close as the story made it out to be. Physics at work.

[CANOPY SAM]

Exact same thing crossed my mind, with the boat swerving to miss at just the last second. That would almost certainly launch the tube right into the vehicle sitting still?

[chasineyes]

Quote:

Boat full of kids you say? Nope. Boat full of adults.

The good news is that they procreated so at least the tradtion will live on....

[aanderud]

Exact same thing crossed my mind, with the boat swerving to miss at just the last second. That would almost certainly launch the tube right into the vehicle sitting still?

I have a 3 person tube that I tow behind my boat, and it almost never makes it outside the wake with just 1-2 kids on it unless I try REALLY hard to get the kid(s) outside with some very sharp turns. Even when it does get outside the wake, it's never at the beginning of the turn, it's always later on in the turn that they whip outside.

[Sonicrunch]

I have a 3 person tube that I tow behind my boat, and it almost never makes it outside the wake with just 1-2 kids on it unless I try REALLY hard to get the kid(s) outside with some very sharp turns. Even when it does get outside the wake, it's never at the beginning of the turn, it's always later on in the turn that they whip outside.

Wait until your kids get older. More weight will really sling them around.

FUN!!

[CANOPY SAM]

Yeah, aanderud, at times it can be tough to get a tube with smaller children to swing out of your wake, but according to the OP these weren't kids.

I'm just kinda hoping that this boat turned off a little earlier, and at a safer distance then what the OP is indicating.

[pikerliker]

Just curious...what happened to the tubers? You'd think they'd have whipped them right into the pontoon.

I asked my wife and she said the tube just missed the pontoon too. Lucky...

[TMF89]

People really are incredible. It's too bad they weren't out fishing, a handful of split shot really gets the message across!

My two best/worst stories are: One time out on Mille Lacs we were cruising across the lake after dark, coming in from a reef. Well I saw a red light on the water and decided to investigate. It didn't have a green light and/or a white light, so I thought maybe it was a buoy, rather than a boat. Well we were heading in at a good clip, because A. We couldn't gauge the light's distance, and B. We were a couple of reckless high schoolers! So we get close to the light, and all of the sudden boom! A big, bright spotlight nails us and blinds us. I actually yanked the emergency shut-off cord out because I had to duck from the glare, and couldn't see where I was going. Turns out it was a dam launch sitting out on the middle of the lake with a group of late-night fisherman on it. They only had the one nav light going, not the green or white ones, and chose to wait until the very last second (for some dumb reason) to light us up with their spotlight, blinding us in the process.

Another time I was on a local lake, and sucker fishing for pike/musky. Well we fish near the fishing pier, and a bunch of teenagers were out riding around old jetskis, the stand up kind with the hinged handlebars. Well they only had like three skis for about half a dozen kids. So they kept swapping, of course flying in past the fishing pier and my boat as they did. Well we started glaring and waving at them as they came by, and they stopped, except one kid. The others actually told him not to (that's how close they were to us), but he flew out past us, actually BETWEEN my bobber and the boat, over my line. Well I had two anchors down, and decided to try something. I cranked up the trim on my 115 Yamaha, and turned it on. Now it's a four-stroke, so you barely hear it idling. The kid certainly didn't! He came by on another pass, right by the boat, and I threw the throttle forward. I thought for a second I was going to rip loose an anchor, but the lines held and I kicked out the mother of all rooster tails....right into the kid as he drove by! Knocked the little $*%@ right off the jetski, and the thing shot off into the lake! He had to get picked up by another rider to go get his jetski, and they made wakes and got the hell out of there! Probably my proudest moment as a fisherman, while not catching a fish!

[CaptainMusky]

As far as I know the white only light is while anchored while red/green and white are navigation. That why it says "Nav" and all lights turn on in your boat while "anchor" only lights up the white one.

[Ufatz]

Dang! And I just took two copies of Chapmans Piloting, Seasmanship and Boat Handling to the local library to donate them. Should be in every boat operators home. Have it handy. Even read parts of it now and then.

I know that won't happen but it sure could save some lives if more people did.

And I have never wavered from my strong belief that every person who will be operating a boat on public waters should have to pass a basic test.

I know that won't happen either. But it should.

[aanderud]

One time out on Mille Lacs we were cruising across the lake after dark, coming in from a reef. Well I saw a red light on the water and decided to investigate. It didn't have a green light and/or a white light, so I thought maybe it was a buoy, rather than a boat. Well we were heading in at a good clip, because A. We couldn't gauge the light's distance, and B. We were a couple of reckless high schoolers! So we get close to the light, and all of the sudden boom! A big, bright spotlight nails us and blinds us. I actually yanked the emergency shut-off cord out because I had to duck from the glare, and couldn't see where I was going. .... They only had the one nav light going, not the green or white ones, and chose to wait until the very last second (for some dumb reason) to light us up with their spotlight, blinding us in the process.

With the green and red nav lights, it's pretty common to only see a red light when you're approaching a boat from that side, especially if from behind slightly. The green one would be visible from the other side or the front. Not sure how you could be sure they didn't have a green light just based on coming at it from one direction.

The white all-around light should have been lit, and it's unfortunate that it wasn't, but I think at least as much fault is to be placed on the driver of the boat that went to "investigate" the red light "at a good clip" when the distance couldn't get judged accurately. Lessons to be learned on both sides, methinks.

And as for the "blinding" spotlight, I guess I'm confused as to how folks can be so offended by using a spotlight to help avoid a collision. Both this post above and another on this site recently have illustrated folks who are totally ranting on other boats for using spotlights, talking about how blinding they can be. How is everyone so sensitive to lights that they are blinded by your average spotlight for the fraction of a second that it takes to notice it and turn your eyes elsewhere. How do you drive cars at night with all the headlights coming your way? I understand that headlights are generally pointed down, but on occasion with bumpy roads and mis-aimed lights and stuff, they point into your vehicle, and you probably do all right even if you are going 60 mph. On a boat going less than half that, seems like a minor inconvenience at most, not a detrimental situation. I fish on the Mississippi and the barges come through with like 100 million candlepower spotlights, and even those aren't what I'd consider to be exactly "blinding" if you just look away. I'll use a spotlight any time I feel like someone is getting too close or even if they're a ways out but they haven't indicated (by change of course) that they see me.

[IcePro]

If you only see a red light it is the port side of the boat, if there is no white light it means it is a sail boat. But in this case the launch should have had its white light on.

If you have taken any boating courses the red light means they are the stand on water craft and you are the stand down / give-way water craft and are required to take early and substantial action to keep well away from other vessels by stopping, slowing down, or changing course. Avoid crossing in front of the stand on vessel. Any change of course and/or speed should be large enough to be readily apparent to another vessel. The stand on vessel in this case was the launch and they must maintain their course and speed unless it becomes apparent that the give-way vessel is not taking appropriate action and should take any precautions if the stand down vessel does not take any appropriate action.

You mention that you were a couple of reckless high school students. If you are under the age of 17 years of age and operating a boat over 25 horsepower you must have either a Watercraft Operator’s Permit, or someone at least 21 years old on board within reach of the controls.

I think it is time for someone / everyone to take a boater safety course.

I have many of times on the lake at night with my pontoon had to take the same action of the launch even though all lights are on. I also have seen many boats where the white navigational light was not on the highest spot on the boat so you could not see it from the front.

[FshBloodRiverMud]

I'll blind any close boat at night. For their safety and mine. Still remember the time I lit up the sheriff for flying by close at night on the Croix.

Had to give a barge the finger earlier this summer. I was way out if the channel fishing, tied into a giant half half submerged tree with a pile of trees upstream. Anyway, trying to catch some zzz's around 3 am and that darn barge spotlighted me again and again. BRIGHT! Lol

Nice work with the rooster tail jet ski knock-off!!

[Finns]

Had to give a barge the finger earlier this summer. I was way out if the channel fishing, tied into a giant half half submerged tree with a pile of trees upstream. Anyway, trying to catch some zzz's around 3 am and that darn barge spotlighted me again and again. BRIGHT! Lol

Might have been checking to see if you were DEAD.

[Slabasaurus]

I think it is time for someone / everyone to take a boater safety course.

some of the replies in here lead me to agree with you even more than I already did.

[Mike #1]

I took a boater safety course three years ago and my insurance dropped 25%. Maybe that would be a good incentive for everyone, just ask your agent.