Yeah we say its not a race, but we all know better, Big money boats are going to race to the first card stop no matter what rules are implemented. If they can't they wont show.
With that said. Why not treat the first card stop like a shoot out? Shorten the distance of the first card stop so that it can be patrolled and spectator area can be maintained. Also I have a hard time believing that helmets and life line jackets would be a deal breaker for most guys, so make them mandatory if you plan to run over 1XX MPH if you break the rule you are disqualified and banned from next years event. Perhaps the organizers from the major poker runs could adopt the same rules so that guys get familiar with what they won't get away with.

Seems to me the biggest wild card is spectator boats, It obviously not easy to change course when these guys are running hard, this crash and My-Way crash are perfect examples of why the spectators need to patrolled. I mean WTF there is a cruiser anchored in no-mans land and another crossing the lead boats? Seems to me they chopped the throttles and veered left crossing the roost of the other boat, There didn't seem be many options given the boats in the way.

I like the idea of a pace boat until a certain controlled area of the lake and then everyone opens it up until some marker so everyone gets a chance to run fast in a secure area with safety boats. This was to be the case at Desert storm this year but some people could not wait until they got to the rock to open it up. I think they need to impose fines for boats that break the rules and make it public that they broke the rules.

I also think that boats that go over 100mph should be required to have helmets, neck restraints, and vest that are rated for high impact.

Its amazing how much more info you get from each new angle of the crash. you could not see the cruiser trying to get out of the way in the first video and it was not as clear how much of a angle the green boat took to cross the wake of the red boat. Still a shame that they crossed so close. Water does not compress like air.

MP

I'm sure some here will disagree with me but from what I see in the "crash vid" is a cat that rides up on the prop wash, roost, of the boat they are crossing behind as they pass. My heart goes out to the loved ones of those lost in this accident but it was avoidable. This is not the first time this same deal happened this year, how could someone have missed the DCB incident. Blame the cruiser guy out watching the run if you want, blame the run for sending the fast boats first, throw out any number of cases that place the blame on someone other than the operators of the boat. Reality is that this may have been avoided had those in control of the boat had just made a few different decisions here.

I do understand the pain of loss, been there myself, mean no disrespect here, but I will still say that a man needs to know his limitations, needs to have his chit in order. Accidents happen, most can be avoided.

All life lost is tragic. Boating has been a huge part of my life, all of my life, and my condolences to all family and friends of the deceased. From my perspective at least they were doing something they loved to do. All motorsports carry risks and when pushing the envelope those risks run high. That said, I cannot speculate why the boat was idling across the lake in front of the lead pack. I do believe it is impossible to communicate with every boater on a huge lake like Cumberland that a Poker run is taking place. Thus I believe it is not logical to assume that everyone boating on that huge lake was aware that a Poker Run was taking place and where they should expect the boats to be and when. It is also illogical to believe that the entire lake can be effectively policed to insure that a boater is not in the wrong place at the wrong time. I personally have a pretty fast boat and I am always looking way in front of me and if I see anything that concerns me I slow down until I am past the potential hazard. It is very hard to anticipate and be ready for everything, especially for what is around the next turn or blind corner. The person driving the boat in front of the pack could have been a dumb ass for sure, but the person may not have had any knowledge of what was coming towards them either. This is the problem with Poker Runs, they not sanctioned races and thus the waterway is not regulated. The police and officials do their best but short of closing the lake or creating a closed course not sure that this scenario can be totally avoided.

The cruiser never had a thing to do with the accident here, operator error, sad to say, was the cause. I'm sure some will spank my azz for that comment, but there is little else that one can one take away from this deal?

I would add my heart goes out to the loved ones of those lost.

That's not a wild card, its a given. You put on a show, there will be people watching watching it. And in that spectator crowd, there will be people who on the water watching the know nothing more about boating than where to put the gas in and how to turn the key. There will be spectators who's idea of seamanship is making sure all th You can'teir passengers have cozies to keep their beer cold. I was at the battle of lake erie reenactment a week ago. It was supposed to be idle speed only, off course their was the obligatory azzhat in a 60 foot searay running nose high throwing a 6 foot wake the nearly sank a friends cat that was idling.Its not a wildcard, you have to expect the stupidity of others. If what is seen in the video is what we see, and what they saw, they chopped the throttles,and took a dive giving their lives to avoid taking someone elses. You can't fault them for that.

I fear that insurance companies will end all of these debates and frankly I am surprised they haven't yet! If you look at many automobile policies it states that you are not covered if you decide to race your car. The small print is where it really gets interesting. Some insurance companies specify any type of competition is considered racing and you are not covered! This does not mean it needs to be a sanctioned event or even at a race track.

I can't imagine someone with a $300K boat taking a risk of no insurance just to be the first to a card stop!

I hate to post, almost never do on these threads but,,,,,,,

I think the root cause or issue is this;

It's not a closed coarse, you are going to have boats do what that cruiser did becuase let's face it,,,,,, the lake is open that weekend.

Want to keep the spectator boats from causing a issue close the course,,,,,,,, does anyone know of a time at a race when a spectator boat caused a issue?


Sorry for the loss,,,,,,

in my humble opinion,as long as spectater boats are going to cross in front of a pack of fast cats,accidents will continue.is there a way to stop them from crossing,my guess is NO.i think it would be imposible to police every spectater boat yet alone the morons who dont know there is a poker run happening all around them.i love to see a cat running 150 plus mph,but in my oponion,it should be done on a closed course like the loto shootout,just to many variables on an open run.this is just me thinking,and i may be wrong.

These are open water ways. In that video it does appear the cruiser was in the way. However there are many factors we don't know. Maybe the guy saw he was in the way, panicked and tried to he out of the way. I read in the other thread that the water patrol began telling people to cross the lake jus as the run started. Maybe he was doing what the water patrol told him to do. Maybe he simply wasn't aware what was going on. At those speeds the guy in the cruiser could have looked and saw no oncoming traffic, then within seconds a crap ton of boats covering a football field in a second coming at him. Again, this run was taking place on an open water way. While this waterway may not have "speed limits" running 150+ in a congested waterway is simply not safe... Speed run should be done on closed "shoot out" course period! This was a very u fortunate incident. I pray for the victims families and hope this is an eye opener. Unfortunately it is human nature to want to be the fastest or first. This is why we need rules/regulations... To protect us from ourselves...