Boating Safety

[doubleheader]

Hi all. I just wanted to relate an experience I had recently while on the west arm of Nipissing. It was Sunday, June 29th, and my wife and I were searching for walleyes between the islands a couple hundred yards west of Samoset. If you know the area you know the vast amount of boat traffic moving through this part of the lake passes between those islands, and it has always been a prime walleye spot due to the current moving between the islands. Knowing it was a holiday weekend I was pretty cautious about fishing the area. I stayed out of the channel center and was jigging an edge about 10 yds from shore moving to the shoreline at about .3mpg with my bowmount. It was mid- day, and our first full day of vacation. My wife saw the boat coming at us first, but frankly when I initially looked up I wasn't that concerned as it was still a ways off. Still, I kept the bow mount moving us towards the island and kept an eye on the boat. I could see it was on plane, but pretty quickly and as I anticipated, it came off plane. I asssumed the operator was preparing to come through the islands, and had adjusted his speed accordingly as there was another small fishing boat in the area. The boat was close enough now that I could see it was a new model Crestliner, either a 19' or 20' with a big Verado (maybe 200HP) and it was full of passengers. I remember thinking, "Hey, another Crestliner like mine with a Verado" That thought quickly was erased with panic as this guy brought his boat back on plane and was now bearing down directly on us. I don't remember if I began waving my arms or just froze. All I know is that his boat passed between me and the island and missed my bow by less than a foot and the rock shoreline by maybe 10 ft. (NO Exaggeration). I was completely speechless, and while he probably passed by me at about 25mph, he then opened her up and just about swamped the small fishing boat behind me. Now here is the really weird part. My wife and I were convinced at the time, and the poor guys in the small fishing boat behind me were also convinced that this wasn't an accident. Even afte giving myself 2 weeks to calm down I'm still convinced. This guy had done this on purpose. I may never know why but I'm reasonably certain he was playing the daredevil for his passengers. He never veered at the last 2nd, never slowed down, and never turned around to see if everyone was okay. The only reason my hull didn't scrape him was because his powerwake moved my boat just enough to avoid contact. The operator was a middle-aged male, and he was there at least the entire week as I saw him on other occaisions heading down the lake. I think he has a home or cottage west of 64 bridge as that is the direction he came from in the morning and returned to in the evening. I never got his boat number. So I mention this to everyone in hopes you'll be more aware than I should you ever be faced with a similiar situation. If you don't always wear your life jackets at least keep them at the ready rather than stowed. Never assume anything. It doesn't help to be right if you're dead right.

 

And just in case the operator of this boat reads this message let me say, "you'll get yours someday pal, because one thing is for sure, what goes around comes around. You are lucky no one was hurt and very fortunate my wife was not injured."

[BillM]

Did you see him AFTER that happened? If so, how did you not lose your mind and give him a beating?

[Joey]

I would have chased him down and given him a piece of my mind. I'm amazed by your restraint. Morons like that should not be on the water. They are a hazard to themselves and others.

 

I'm glad things turned out okay under the circumstances for you. I know and have fished that area many times. Most people slow down and keep a distance from you if you are fishing there.

 

Joey

[doubleheader]

I've done a few stupid things in my day when I've let my temper get the best of me. I've tried to learn from those mistakes with the Lord's help. No one would have benefited from a confrontation and our vacation would have been ruined.

[wallyboss]

Doubleheader I think that having your wife in the boat with you is what saved that guy from a good beating.

 

There are morons like that everywhere.

[Greencoachdog]

I wonder how fast that Verado would run with 100 or so yards of 80 lb. PowerPro wrapped around the prop? I absolutely despise holes like that!!!

 

Maybe he'll do everyone a favor and lose his lower unit on a rock at top speed.

 

If you see him again while you're up there, try to get a pic so we can all be on the lookout for that dingleberry.

[GBW]

All I can say is WOW!

Ok, maybe a bit more... As stated, if you are still there see if you can snap a pic and post it.

[LeXXington]

I would have find out where he was and gone had a word@!!!!!

[doubleheader]

You know whenever you have something really weird happen you always think back about what you should or could have done. I wish I had the presence of mind to snap a pic as he went whizzing by but the better thing we should have done is grap our life jackets. Truth is I stood there with a Duh look on my face. Knowing how we all do about the reefs up there I do hope he hits one and sinks. I wouldn't wish anyone to get hurt...... okay, maybe a small bump on his noggin would be okay. I was really kind of hoping someone on this board might know the boat. There aren't a great number of big Crestliners with Verados on them up there.

[fishnsled]

First - I'm very glad that everyone is OK, it could have been a very bad situtation. Second - Thanks for the heads up on this . I'll be up that way in a couple of weeks for my first West Arm trip. I will keep an eye open for him and a camera as well.

[Reef Runner]

You did the right thing doubleheader IMHO. Safety first, no sense in fumbling for a camera when you and yours are put in harms way. Glad everyone was ok and this windbag will get his one day seing as he pulls manouvers like that.

[anders]

Like that makes me irate!!!! Like my dad always says....nothing like a heat seaking missile cant fix...or just a 12 ga. to the hull....errrr thats makes me mad just thinking about a holes like that. Sorry to hear about the misfortune. Very glad that you were ok!

[Greencoachdog]

What color is this Crestliner?

 

I'll be back up at Lakair in Sept. and fishing the same area... and would like to be on the lookout for him as well.

[doubleheader]

It's a white hull, and I'm pretty sure it has the black and gold trim exactly like my boat but I have the FishHawk and I think this was the Sportfish. If it isn't brand new it's not older than a 2007. It had that brand new look to it but looking on the Crestliner website I don't think it was a 2008. The decal package disn't look quite the same as this attachment. More black and gold rather than red.

http://www.crestliner.com/boats/boat_model.asp?BID=30

[Whopper]

I agree with Joey on this one, you showed a lot of restraint. I'm not so sure I would have been able to the same.

 

A few years back on another popular lake in Ontario I had been fishing a point of an island three straight evenings and had something very similar happen by the same jerk all three nights. I had my son with me all three times and he even said to me the second time it happen how dangerous it was, well the third night and the third time the guy came through I lost it and went after him, my boat was a lot bigger than his and a lot faster so when I caught up to him I ran circles around him until he stopped and proceeded to have a talk with him. He informed me that he had every right to run his boat where ever he wanted that I shouldn't have been there in the first place (he was referring to me as a non citizen). Well I could clearly see this guy was a complete idiot and away I went. The next couple of days I went out of my way to make passes (in a safe distance) near where he sat while he was fishing his favorite spot and each time I would just wave as I went past. I wasn't very proud of what I did in front of my son but I didn't like watching the guy hold onto his boat for dear life everytime I went by him.

 

What I don't understand on the West Arm is why people feel the need to run WOT under the 64 bridge, I've seen it multiple times each time I've been there and last year a guy came through there in about a 26' boat WOT with three us fishing the area, one of the people I believe was a relative of Uncle Bucks and I thought for sure the guy was going to either hit them or swamp their small boat. Is this not a no wake zone?

[doubleheader]

Well Whopper I saw a lot of that near the bridge also as well as some guy pulling his kids on a tube and then doing a u turn right in front of Lakair's dock and almost pasting his kids into the dock. I know here in PA we have the same type issues; lack of common courtesy, showboating, and a failure to recognize that you need to leave room for the unexpected. People do dumb stuff so you can't expect to be safe unless you are ready for the unexpected, and I wasn't the day we were nearly tea-boned. Safety around the water is so important. Over the weekend two young men from Pittsburgh decided to jump off the top of one of our bridges that spans our Allegheny reservoir. It's 75 feet to the water. One boy got hurt and when his brother went to rescue him they both drowned. What a shame.

[Andy]

Wow, I'd be wild!

The two closest calls I've had have both been on the West Arm, in Warren's Bay, but nothing nearly that scary. My boat and another boat travelling at about 90 degrees, I clearly have the right of way, but it's obvious that the other guy has no intention of slowing down and I literally have to come off plane and go at a snail's pace because I'm not even sure if the other guy sees me. In both instances, the other guy goes by full throttle and give me a look like I have a problem. One guy was on old man with a young child sitting high in the bow. They have no clue what they are doing out there, stories like yours remind me to remain vigilant. Andy

Edited July 16, 2008 by Andy

[Joey]

That is terrible news about the boys. Life can be over in an instant.

 

The reason I put that I would chase him down is that this hits home for me. Paul and I were up bright and early one morning a few years ago on Simcoe, by Snake Island, he was standing on the front casting deck and I was sitting in the driver seat of the boat jigging off the side. I suddenly see out of the corner of my eye Paul beeline it to the other side of the casting deck and the front of a boat about 5 feet from us going fast about to t-bone the middle of the passenger side of our boat. There was no time for words, no honey look out, no duck, no jump, no grabbing of lifejackets. By the grace of God, this guy sees us at the last second and cranks his wheel to the right. He was so close and turned so fast his wake soaked us to the bone and everything in our boat. We stood there dripping and looking at each other in disbelief.

 

The guy stops his boat and is slowly drifting away from us about 20 ft away and says "Sorry." Paul yells back, "Sorry? Sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it buddy." We gained our composure a bit and Paul asked him what he was thinking and a few other choice words. The guy just took off. We didn't chase him as we had already said our peace and he knew he was wrong and said sorry. But that really scared me and I'm forever more aware of boats heading in our direction. I don't know if he just wasn't paying attention or if the sun coming up over the horizon blinded him.

 

Joey

[modny]

I've done a few stupid things in my day when I've let my temper get the best of me. I've tried to learn from those mistakes with the Lord's help. No one would have benefited from a confrontation and our vacation would have been ruined.

 

 

exactly. i'm not usually one to say this type of stuff either.

 

it will come back to bite him in the arse one day.

[POLLIWOGG]

Ahh......Anybody think to call the cops, thats why we have them?

 

If it was intentional he will do it again and the sooner you get the cops involved the better.

[Andy]

A good point. Dangerous Driving is not just for cars on the highway, it also applies to vessels, boats, sleds, etc. I imagine a criminal charge would slow him down. Andy

[doubleheader]

I did not contact the OPP and I should have. I had my eye out for one of their patrol boats for 2 weeks with the thought I'd flag them down and never saw one. In retrospect that was a bad approach I should have contacted them that day because I had witnesses and they were also staying at Lakair.

[GBW]

my comment on the camera was because I thought you said you had seen the boat a few more times after that. I know that a camera would be the last thing I would be looking for if that was happening to me.

[Greencoachdog]

my comment on the camera was because I thought you said you had seen the boat a few more times after that. I know that a camera would be the last thing I would be looking for if that was happening to me.

 

... same here.

 

 

If he blows by me like that in Sept. ... I'll be sure to await his return!

[glen]

People like to giver when they are in the channel and you are nearby. They wont be happy till they kill someone.

 

What about the speed limit close to shore?