Fourth of July fatality

That's just sad... and tragic.

I could get on my soapbox now about life jackets but won't. I still chuckle when I see that comment in the virtual marina about my boat and life jackets.
 
There is more to this story than life jackets.

I was out viewing the Toms River fireworks on Wednesday night. It is just possible that I even saw this boat. . .I think there was more than one boat there that fit this description.

First and foremost the weather was NOT condusive for a 20' Center Console boat operating at night. I do not know what time this accident occurred, but I can tell you that after the fireworks (say 9:20pm), it started to rain nice and steady. And this rain didn't sneak up on anybody. .. . Rain was in the forcast. The skys had been threatening for HOURS. Winds were harsh, and the bay had been rough for HOURS.

And they went out with five adults and three children? On a 20' boat? Dubious even in fair weather. And here they are at night. On July 4th. In a rain storm.

I was questioning the wisdom of taking my 28' Cuddy out that night -> even with the NMEA rating, enclosed bow, good night familiarity with the area, and well under capacity with four adults aboard. It certainly felt more like ocean swells than bay chop when I was out there. We were still talking about turning back and hopping into the car when we were halfway to Toms River.

For my part, I actually felt comfortable in the rain on the way back home. This was because I had the appropriate rain gear, biminis up the moment the rain started to fall, and good local *night* knowledge combined with a GPS chartplotter. Only thing I would have done differently would have been to put up the Eisenglass fronts in addition to the bimini tops (I am still learning some tricks!)

I wonder with with four other adults and three kids in the rain. . . what kind of pressure was the skipper in to make it to the dry shore? My crew was fully prepared to get drenched in the cockpit -> and had the option of fleeing to the cabin at any point. I was under no time pressure. . and actually was at low hull speed for over half of my journey home (because of weather and other boat traffic)
 

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