Boating accident on Long Lake, Harrison Maine

[Cappa]

The key word is LIGHTS.
I drive my boat at night 20 times a year and although I do not go over 20 mph I have all my lights on. Including a beam if someone gets close or I see something strange. It was a horrible accident and I will do my part to protect my family and any other boater on the water at night.

[John]

You guys posting about the 25 hp limit and the big bad speedboats are complete and utter idiots. What size boat do you drive? Should that be the limit for everybody? Thank you for making the correct boat size decision for all of us. You can kill someone with a paperclip if you are careless enough. The focus should be on the actual cause of the accident, not some knee-jerk emotional response from some know it all shoredweller who thinks the lake should revert back to their youth.(although anyone at the antique boat show must have noticed that the old boats also had big engines and evil,loud, through hull exhaust, with none of the safety features found in todays "cigarette boats"). How about birch bark canoes? That would solve the problem, if we could get over the whole sinking aspect.

[Christine]

I agree.It was an accident. My prayers go out to all the families. The driver and passenger of the bigger boat must be devastated. I dont think placing blame on either party will do anyone any good.

relative of boater wrote:

It is so hard to read these comments about punishment and fault of the driver. I am a relative of the driver of the cigarette boat and I can tell you that he is absolutely devastated. He has to live with the fact that these two people lost their lives in an accident involving himself and he can't get through it. He's been boating all his life and is a responsible family man. I don't know that he will ever be able to drive again. This is a terrible,horrific, tragic ACCIDENT. A small black boat in the middle of the lake at 9PM with absolutely no lights. He didn't intend to hurt anyone and wasn't acting recklessly or irresponsibly. He didn't even see the boat. This is a tragedy and one that no family should have to endure. Please pray for the families of the victims who lost their lives and for the eventual peace and healing of those who lived through it. Try not to place blame and see this for what it really is...a terrible, tragic, accident.

[theodog]

I am totally shocked by this accident. I was out on the lake Saturday night returning from Harrison having dinner. We saw a cigarette boat wiz by and said why, do they hvae to go so fast??? I think its time to do something about it now. How many people have to lose their lives??? My thoughts and prayers to the families. This is too sad.

[sam -]

i own a home on brandy pond. how about the smaller boat not having lights on??? Do we restrict cars that go to fast to be pulled off the road?? How about a speed limit being enforced or all boats that go out at night have lights on them!!!

[Kat]

Just wondering where you get your information?? The Wardens, divers, and rescue ALL agree that it would have been impossible for the driver of the cigg boat to have seen the other boat, lights or no lights. That boat was going TOO FAST. No one knows if they had nav lights on (why wouldn't they? They knew the rules of boating!) The boat is in tennsy tiny pieces, the only other two people who can tell you are most likely dead, and the only other witnesses are surely working hard to cover their asses as best they can.
The driver of that speedboat was barrelling down a lake in a boat designed for drug running in the Ocean. He was going fast enough that the boat rocketted UP a hill and INTO TREES before coming to a rest hundereds of feet on shore.
What the HELL do you mean "He didn't intend to hurt anyone and wasn't acting recklessly or irresponsibly. He didn't even see the boat." ??? OF COURSE he didn't see the boat. He was going.... TOO..... FAST.
In my book, that screams "irresponsible." I hope they throw the book at him.

[Kat]

from WCSH6.com
Authorities say the victims were in a 14-foot vessel when they were apparently hit by a cigarette-syle speedboat more than twice its size.

The speedboat's occupants were thrown into the lake and made it safely to shore, while their boat ended up about 100 yards in some woods.

The names of the dead, as well as the two people riding in the cigarette boat, are being withheld at the request of the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office because the crash remains the focus of a criminal investigation.

[A friend]

I love these people that are so quick to judge and blame the "speedboat" driver. Just because it's a "speedboat" doesn't mean it was driving out of control. I as well know the indivual that was driving the "speedboat" and he is an outstanding person that has been part of the Maine community for over 8+ years - he is well known and very well liked among many people in Maine. If half of you even knew what you were talking about and knew the driver of the "speed boat" you would all feel much different. He can't sleep, he can't eat and him and his family are devasted by this horriffic accident. He is someone who has boated his entire life, in fact he grew up on a lake since birth - he's not an idiot nor a irresposible person, he's probably the most repsonisble person I have ever met - this is what we call a very very tragic accident. Everyone is so quick to judge that he was in the wrong, has anyone thought maybe the other people were at fault, why the hell would you sit in the middle of a lake in a black boat with no lights on? Just not right, I feel for all persons that are affected by this and I think we all need to come together and pray for everyone involved. This is a tragic accident.

[A friend]

By the way "KAT" - get you facts straight, you have NO IDEA what you are talking about.

[Kat]

And you get your "fact" that the other boat had no lights from.... where, exactly? My "facts" come from the first responders. What exactly do you dispute?

[Kat]

One more.... I do pray for the family... while I do not believe those boats should be on that lake, I certainly understand that what happened was shocking, tragic, and most certainly an accident. No doubt they did not MEAN it to happen. That seems to be what one hears so aften after these things happen. "I didn't mean...." May he and his family rest easy tonight. May the other couple rest in peace.

[Dave]

Kat wrote:

Frank Land.... It's not my intent to 'blame' anyone, but every year someone gets seriously injured or killed on Long Lake, and as a resident, I'm sick of it. Those boats are TOO BIG. PERIOD. END OF DISCUSSION.
Should we wait until a nice little family of 5 from MA. is killed before the out of staters take notice??????????

Amen!

[Dave]

Amen....absolutely. People say the struck boat should have had nav lights on....well maybe they did...who knows. what we do know is; to have damaged the struck boat so heavily, the cigarette boat was going fast, very fast...in the dark, no moonlight. Totally irresponsible!

[Audiofn]

I would rather see the MP's enforce no wake zones and people in pontoon boats running up the river witht he kids feet hanging over the bow. I would rather see people NOT pull their tubes around the middle of the lake zig zagging in front of everyone trying to get to the other side. I would rather that RENTERS not disobey every law of boating. I would rather that people on jet ski's not turn in front of my because they are not looking were they are going.

I do not know if Ray had his lights on or not but I know that when I was out on Friday evening I saw one that did not in Brandy Pond! These are the people that need to get off the lake not the speed boaters. What accident in the past has been the fault of the speed boaters.

Some one earlier said that there is limited view because of the long bow.... NOT TRUE. If you had ever ridden in one you would know different. I talked to a few guys that own "speed boats" this weekend and they all said that they went out and could not run fast because of all the traffic so they came back in. Does this sound like irresponsible people to you?

[Naples and Mass Resident]

My house in Naples was the first house I ever owned, and we've been coming up for 11 years. My kids have spent every summer of their lives at and mostly IN the lake.

The lights on the smaller boat are an issue, but you should never be driving faster than you can see and avoid something in the water that isn't lit. Your own nav lights' range should let you go slowly and still see a log floating in the water in time to avoid it. This year in particular we've had 3 huge logs blow into our shore, one of them way past the spring thaw. I wouldn't have wanted to hit one of them going 25 MPH, much less 70.

So, yes, have your nav lights on at night, but that's to protect YOU, not to have you assume that everyone else has theirs on, too. Electrical systems fail; people forget or get "caught" by dusk. Especially in that kind of boat, where you sit so far from the bow and visibility of the water right in front of you is restricted. The safety lanyard kill switch goes without saying, day or night.

[william chambers]

i have been a part time resident from mass since 1967 and now i live on long lake,we also have a place on highland lake in bridgton.most of thease lakes are small in comparison to sebago.ive seen the power boats of the 80s roaring down the lakes and i always own just a small fishing boat with a 10 hp motor and enjoyed cruising up and down the lake.but the testosterone(and belive me ive been a testoterone laden lad most my life)makes me laugh as i have watched each other try to out do each other in the bigger the boat the cooler you are .ive also watched as many of thease ego driven race vehicles lose there motors by hitting rocks in the lakes,because most dont understand who dont live her the water depths and the lakes there choosing to speed up and down.plus i like to scuba dive so ive always had to watch out for you knuckle heads and where you are always.most residents who are brought up here have a deep respect for there lakes and do everything possibble to take care of there beauty.so i dont blame the real residents from being pissed off at the morons who speed up and down.there should be laws about boat sizes on particular lakes and also the noise you make roaring up and down the lake is quite childish if you ask me.plus your polluting the lakes and thats destroying the natural beuty also.now i like sportscars and rice rocket motorcyles and have driven 150 plus in my days so i like speed like the next idiot.but the charm and grace of thease lakes should remain a testament to there natural beauty not a race way for the fast and furious.if you kill someone in a boat its no different than in a car or any other motorized vehicle.also its not and act of god its and act of complete irresposibility on the person in there boat.im sure if ya what to race boats they can find a place as we have hundreds of lakes in maine where people can go and race till there motor blows up.but not where the general public and childeren are present.its not the place.people lost there lives for no good reason.i appreciate this beauty and thats why i moved here.not to turn it into another ego driven city.

[Long Lake Boater]

Just curious....had the cigarette boat been a 20 foot recreational boat that hit this smaller boat, would you be trying to ban those boats as well? Depending on the engine size, those boats can easily go 50+ mph (some going 60+) and certainly could have the same end result as this did. But because it is a "cigarette boat" that was involved, it just seems to give you naysayer's the excuses you need to "ban all boats of that caliber". Comments like those are not only ignorant, they come from people that certainly don't have their facts straight before their mouth opens. The facts of this unfortunate accident will take months and months to straighten out. I have seen accident reconstruction take 3 years to come to a conclusion. Anyone such as "Kat" who come across as "premature judge and jury" are completely irresponsible and are doing nothing but "making noise"! Kat, you make comments like "drug running boats", "25 hp limit for all boats" & "excessive speed" shows how single minded and small town you really are. How fast exactly was the boat going (in your expert opinion)? Is it possible that the throttle on the larger boat could've been hit to wide open throttle as the boats occupants were being ejected? No wonder you are threatened by "out of stater's"! Keep your non-factual, premature comments to yourself until all the facts are in! Put your energy and compassion (if you have any) towards the victims (all of them) and their families. I can't imagine living with such a tragedy. My hearts and prayers go out to all those involved, and I pray for eventual peace for all those involved.

[Kat]

Long Laker Boater.... I agree with much of what you posted, in theory, as the accident reconstruction has not concluded. However, as I said, I am not from Maine, therefore can not be "threatened" by out of staters. I have been around all sorts of boats for 40 years, and let me tell you, it is "possible" that the throttle may have been hit to wide open as they were ejected. Unlikely, but possible. It is not, however, possible, for that boat to have done that much damage that it literally ripped the fiberglass off of the hull of Susan's boat before they were ejected. It ripped the boat off of its hull. Shredded it. Killed two people. That, friends, IS a fact. How fast does one have to go to do that? Please enlighten me on that "fact" because I'm eager to hear your physics lesson on the subject. They sure weren't cruising around at 5 knots.
I am personally tired of seeing all of "us" make living here year round hell for all of "them." Also as I said, I will pray for ALL those involved. Yeah, personally, I think from the loons on up WOULD applaude a ban on all (ALL) high powered crafts. Personally, these lakes are simply not big enough for anyone to race around in the day or the night at 30 knots. I personally think it is insane that boats.... snowmobiles... ATVs.... Jet skis.... go as fast as they do. It is, as time and time again has proved, a reciepe for tragedy. I personally think the state of Maine has the same responsibility to protect the same group of people who need to be told to put a fence around their pool, to put their kid in a seatbelt, and that if you let your kid drive (steer or direct) that recreational vehicle and someone gets killed, you are responsible. These laws also protect the innocent. I personally think that there needs to be stronger idiot proof laws for "recreational vehicles.

Audiofn, I spent years on those boats. My cousin raced them. They were exciting and cool and boy did he get chicks with them. They are not for these lakes. Captain one in the ocean, and you would not be able to see nav lights on a 14' boat. The bow on ANY boat comes up when accelerating, not just that boat. Any boat accelerating to an unsafe speed.
For the record, the copius use of the word "personally" is intentional.

My prayers are with the friends and family of Ray and Susan. They were out enjoying a beautiful night on the Lake they loved. I personally find it abhorrent that others are so quick to judge the victims who have no opportunity to defend themselves.
My prayers are ALSO with the friends and family of the two people in the boat who survived, as well as with THEIR friends and family. I wish to GOD that this news article didn't exist, and perhaps this cuts just a bit close to home for me, but do not get on your high horse and tell me what the facts are. I am quite certain that they are devestated. Been there, done that. It is not their fault because appropriate laws are not currently in place to protect everyone, even those who need protection from themselves.

[Kat]

FACT:

http://www.boatsafe.com/kids/cigboat.htm

"Cigarette boats are designed for a single purpose and that is to "go fast." That is why you may hear them referred to as "go fast boats." They are V-hull, planing, boats which means that they actually ride on top of the water, and they are equipped with high horsepower engines that are able to push them at incredible speeds, some over 100 miles per hour.

The teams that race these boats consist of three people. One person steers the boat, one works the throttle to make the boat go faster or slower and one is the navigator and lookout who keeps and eye on everything else including making sure the person steering the boat stays on the course."

http://www.boatsafe.com/kids/cigboat.htm

[Kat]

Go-fast boat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go-fast_boat


A "go-fast" is the preferred boat of many smugglers.The cigarette boat or go-fast boat is a high performance boat of a characteristic design. Originally designed for his offshore racing team by Donald Aronow, the fast, powerful boats became notorious as the drug smuggling boat of choice in many parts of the world in the 1980s, 1990s and first years of the 21st century.

Use
In accordance with their pure racing heritage, the accommodations on these boats are minimal, and they are built to hold 5 or fewer passengers. While most do have some cabin under the foredeck, it is low and much smaller than a typical motor yacht of similar size. Apart from the racing market, most buyers of these boats purchase them for the mystique; the combination of the racing and smuggling connections, plus the immense power and high top speeds make these boats popular as ostentatious displays of wealth.

ssiiiiigggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhh.........