You NY Guys need too Dump Chuckie Schumer , He is a Communist and feels the Government should control every single aspect of our Lives , along with the Money !

Dude.....
 

how do you hit a docked barge at night and it not be your fault????
And 14 people in a small bow rider?? That sounds safe to you regardless of what a yellow sticker says???
And how is that incident any fault of the manufacturers? SUE,SUE, SUE, SUE..................
At nine yrs old I was smarter than that.

Before someone else catches it...
 

...I admit, I made an error. And I will also admit; not my first, even for today!

I said "That boat did NOT have a capacity sticker" and that is patently incorrect! It may not have had one, but should have!

Regardless, the suit had to do with too much designated seating in the bow area of the boat!

Now, be really careful...
 

...you are starting to sound like you might agree with me!

It is his fault, no doubt about it. He should also be the one sued, maybe even the owner of the boat for putting him behind the helm. Even at night, how do you miss a docked tug boat? Well, unless you are going too fast, can't see, while the soberest - not really sober, have some young hoty's, well anyway, enough about that...

All I am saying is that maybe if there had been some form of certification or schooling or something, those 5 souls, the three young souls in Long Island Sound and who knows how many others, would not have been lost!

Don't confuse the question with answers. The question is, should Charles Schumer, or anyone else try to pass enforced legislation on unsafe boaters and/or boating practices?

Tongue in cheek, right now, I say yes! Maybe after some reflection I will change my mind.

I have captained on an old-school 34 Silverton. Half of the 27 is still a fantastic number to post! We had a total crew of three. I was glad it was not an inspected boat. I didn't want any more than the 6 passengers!

BoatShow239,

As you can see by the number of my posts on this thread, I'm more than a bit agitated here. I've lived with Chucky and his political road show for way too many years. The basic point I'm trying to make here is that very little of what Chuckles gets passed into law actually helps anybody except upChuck himself. He's the consumate politician of opportunity and when he got up to speak at my son's college graduation, I almost had to leave the arena. He's that sickening.

Sure I feel sorry for the parents who needlessly lost their young children on that Silverton. There was absolutely no sane reason for the captain to have that many people on board. Even an idiot with little or no boating experience could have looked at that thing and predicted it would likely sink. But more / new laws just won't do much to cure idiocy. (You can't fix stupid.) All it will do is cause us to hire more law enforcement personnel.

As my favorite shining example, I (again) bring up the New York State law requiring PWC operators of any age to take and pass a Safe Boating course. With a full 50 years on the waters of Lake Ontario behind me, I can tell you with absolute certainty that it has had little or no effect on "stupid jet ski tricks". Hell, two years ago (after the law was in effect), one idiot was stupid enought to jump the wake of a 47' boat - which just happened to be a USCG boat on patrol. Ask the law enforcement folks why and you hear "Too many of them, not enough of us."

Now, if the captain of that Silverton was charged and convicted of manslaughter, that would be worth a bunch more in my book.

Here we go again...
 

...I am in agreement with you.

I hate the idea of too much government, but am scared to death with too little concern.

I summered for 8 years on the eastern end of Ontario and spent a remarkable amount of time on Ontario and the St Lawrence, so I know exactly what you mean about the Ontario experience. The first year or maybe two after the ski licensing there seemed to be a decline in stupid ski activity where I was, but then it went back to how it had been. Too bad!

Here's the the real rub, and I think it shouldn't be this way, but what was illegal about a ski jumping the wake? There may be a rule for that, and I hope there is, but for right now, I can't find it! And if there is, you don't cite the kid, you cite the parents (if its a kid).

While I think of it, I know that 37 foot cutter and the one from Oswego too. Sort of a long story, so won't tell it, but many of those CG crews leave a bit to be desired with their seamanship!

I do not have a GF, mine goes 6.5 knots. Too old to go too fast too often! I admire them, have ridden on more than one and Captained more than one. I am impressed with what some of them can do and like to hear them when two or three go across the bay/harbor, but they also scare the living daylight out of me!

It bothers me tremendously when something like the "My Way" incident happens. It draws a focus from a rather powerful microscope that I don't think the sport/activity needs or wants. How many people do you think know nothing or the "My Way" incident? How many do you think would have known about it if at those speeds on the River, he would have killed someone, or even himself. We don't need the focus!

It seems many people have been credited with the statement "you can't legislate stupidity", and the bottom line; it is true, but you can punish for it.

For the sake of this conversation, as an example. My son was on the Silverton. He died. I sue the owner and the operator. If overloading a boat can be criminal to any extent, I have a much better chance to win and that makes it less often it is likely to happen again because of conversations like these.

A guy I know refused to update his flares. "Stupid" he would say. Until one night on Erie off Catawba he got to spend the night bobbing around in sort of snotty weather. Had his flares been to date and worked, the boat that passed within a 100 or so metres, might have seen him! Needless to say, after that all his stuff was up to snuff.

It may well be a mistake to have Schumer be the one that carries the banner, but it is better than no one.

Did your son go to U of R?

Here is another one to consider. Remember the GF at LI, NY that hit the Hatteras(?) at 5 in the AM. I hope his insurance settles early so that doesn't hit the fan!

ANd believe me, i am not trying to stroke you or anything, you're maybe too stroked as it is... wow that is even worse than my bad metaphors...

Don't confuse the question with answers. The question is, should Charles Schumer, or anyone else try to pass enforced legislation on unsafe boaters and/or boating practices?

And that should be "enforcement", see I have admitted to another error!

Well said.

And he keeps on getting elected...