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Large center console crashes on port Everglades jetty

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Capt J, Jan 1, 2020.

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  1. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Aurora is curious and we're not making a conscious effort to train her but she's making a conscious effort to learn. It's fun to her. She wants to know what we're doing.
  2. Oscarvan

    Oscarvan Senior Member

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    Booze/Speed are a very close #2/#3 depending on source. Calling it #1 may be technically incorrect, it's hardly "misleading". Hitting a nerve there is he?
  3. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    Hah, I have one of those too!
  4. leeky

    leeky Senior Member

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    My nerves are calm. I just thought if a position is going to be assigned to the causes of crashes, it should be technically correct. Otherwise, it's misleading, or maybe you would prefer "inaccurate."
  5. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    So to get this accurate. Distracted driving is the leading cause of accidents with speeding and drunk driving second and third. However, when it comes to deaths in auto accidents it's a much different story. In 2018, there were 36,560 fatalities and 10,511 of them were alcohol related. By comparison, 2,841 were distraction related. The most recent year I found the number caused by speed it was 10,111 and is probably down a little from that.

    So, here is my corrected statement. The leading cause of fatalities in auto accidents are alcohol and speed.
  6. Beau

    Beau Senior Member

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    Chortling at all the male hormones on this thread - is it factually correct that 65 mph was the speed at impact? Have any of the "facts" on this thread been substantiated on any of the points made? Dunno….

    Good night Gentlemen
  7. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    I don't think anyone knows the speed, just it was a high rate of speed, whatever that means. Nor has anyone said they were under the influence or anything else claiming fact. Only facts are boat in dark going fast into jetty.
  8. mapism

    mapism Senior Member

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    Good to hear that what I understood before commenting in my post #33 was correct: the accident happened at night, and the boat was going pretty fast - it doesn't take a lot of boating experience to understand that.
    Which means that all the rest is just speculation.
    Time will tell how appropriate (or not), but speculation nonetheless, at this stage.
  9. captainwjm

    captainwjm Senior member

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    Literally it is the least you could do, so do it in private or on an appropriate forum.
  10. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    So you're saying that speculating as to possible causes and commenting on the accident and the captain's mistakes is appropriate but a simple short expression of sympathy or concern is inappropriate on YF. You're entitled to that opinion. I just wanted to be sure that was what you were saying. I will continue to express condolences after boating accidents, boaters lost at sea, boats lost in hurricanes and other tragedies in the lives of boaters. Feel free to ignore them.
  11. chesapeake46

    chesapeake46 Senior Member

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    I think the passengers probably trusted the operator, probably knew less than the operator and probably had no idea how much danger they could be ( were ) put into. As to staying aboard, hard to bail out at high speed at night.
  12. mapism

    mapism Senior Member

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    You are now making me curious about what you consider this forum appropriate for.
    Even accepting to leave the expression of sympathy aside (on the basis that it should be a given), what else do you think is there to debate?
    Imho, it's exactly because of the nature of this forum that it should be bleeding obvious for anyone that at night, slowing down and pay higher attention is much safer than going fast and (probably, we don't know for sure yet) carelessly.
    Or are you one of the journalists who thought that there was a lesson to be learned in FB accident?
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2020
  13. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Last edited: Jan 3, 2020
  14. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Well, that explains their lack of familiarity with the area and may or may not explain a lack of boating experience. In some ways makes the speed either more or less easy to understand. You'd hope someone unfamiliar with an area would go slower, but perhaps that lack of familiarity with coastal cruising left them not appreciating the danger. Good link, Ralph. At least the one still available.

    The second is still available, just moved.

    https://www.theindychannel.com/news...iers-in-fort-lauderdale-boat-crash-identified

    One of the articles mentions one of the men owning a boat dealership, but he's only owned it nine months and it's not his occupation. He's COO of another business and owns the boat dealership and a limo service on the side.
  15. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    It says one of them bought a $10.6 million waterfront mansion in Fort Lauderdale in 2016. So if he didn't know the area, why the hell didn't they hire a Captain for the night???? I've been running a 44' Center Console around Miami/Fort Laud 3 different nights over the past week. I ran the owners last boat this size that he just sold a month ago, 11.5 years ago when he bought it. Seasoned yachter that also owns a 90' Yacht and he hires a Captain to run his family and friends around in a 44' center console so that everyone is safe. He knows the area as well.
  16. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Anybody noticed the bright white gunnel lights and what looks like blue overhead at the helm all still on

    here is your cause.
  17. bayoubud

    bayoubud Senior Member

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    If all those lights were on while running it could have blinded the operator. The boat surely had the latest electronic gear, sounds like an inexperienced operator running too fast at night.
  18. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    The boat was well outfitted with Radar and even FLIR night vision.
    But the emphasis today is on looking good with accent lights, mood lights and all that.
    As many have stated, night vision is compromised with all these extras, there is a proper way to operate underway at night with a darkened/dimmed helm and only the minimum necessary lights.
  19. Oscarvan

    Oscarvan Senior Member

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    Certainly doesn't help. Technically the cause will be "Failure to navigate".
  20. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    We don't know if the lights were on during the accident or not. They could have been turned on after the accident. 1 of the 4 people did not go to the hospital according to the news article. Also, there should be footage of the accident as the Fort Lauderdale webcam faces that part of the inlet all of the time. Everything has gone very quiet on this accident. But no reports of alcohol or anything like that in any of the articles.

    The big center console I've been running has overhead lights that turn 20 different colors/shades......on red they don't really mess with my night vision.