Terrible tragedy - but I think there are some lessons to be learned.
...just after 11 p.m. Friday night.
Running at night...
Police said the 39-foot Hy-Lite offshore powerboat is capable of travelling at speeds of more than 100 km/h and was travelling at a high rate of speed when it hit the breakwall.
"At this point we suspect it was travelling pretty close to its maximum velocity," said investigating officer Const. Bill Scott of the Essex OPP.
100 kph = 62 mph...
He says both men were "very experienced boaters" and believes the numerous lights at the entrance to the harbour may have disoriented them.
"The Leamington harbour is very confusing at night," said Smith.
Into a harbor entrance, with numerous lights from shore.
Please don't take this the wrong way; I'm not trying to "speak ill of the dead". This is a tragedy and I feel horrible for all involved - especially the kids who are now orphans.
But... what the hell is this guy doing running 60 mph at night into a ["very confusing"] harbor entrance???? IMO, running that fast at night is not just stupid, it's borderline criminal. You simply cannot see and react fast enough at night. In my home waters, there are always fishing boats, etc, out at night - there is no way you can see the small lights on these boats if you're running that fast. Not to mention floating debris, buoys, or - as here - breakwalls and sandbars.
For God's sake, there are 12+ hours of daylight every day in the summer; isn't that enough time to let the horses play? How sad that a couple of "very experienced boaters" didn't have the judgement to slow down appropriately when they obviously couldn't see where they were going. Now two kids have no parents.
