Jupiter Sunsation

Don't forget the turtles! Yeah, for part of the year you can't light up your condo/have bright street lights along the coastline because the turtle hatchlings get confused and don't swim towards the ocean (moon light) when there are bright lights confusing them.

Oldest guy on the boat lives in a 10mm house right inside the inlet, so he likely was piloting the vessel.

PremierPOWER

What a dumb statement about not being familiar with the waters. I am from Indianapolis, but we have a vacation home in Florida and I am VERY familiar with the waters.

PremierPOWER

The boat has FLIR and radar, so there really is no excuse for hitting it short of a medical emergency. I can very easily and safely run 40+ with radar and FLIR. I'd be willing to bet that he was on auto pilot simply not paying close enough attention to the route, whether alcohol was or was not involved.

Jupiter Sunsation

Guy had the boat a month...........no chance he was using the autopilot at midnight.

ActiveThunder

Hopefully more familiar than the idiot from Indiana that drove over the rocks. And all I meant was perhaps he wasn't familiar with the water. The inlets can get the best of the most experienced on the ocean side of the state in trouble. The lake side of the state, there's just a lot of ground to run up on.

frickstyle

Here's another angle. I was out fishing that morning and snapped this on the way back in around 11:30a. Apologies as I was driving and couldn't get to it until way past, a lot of commotion thru the channel that day....

He made it pretty far!!! (In seriousness, I hope no one is permanently injured. does anyone know what happened to the woman, or what was the causation of the accident? You guys are quick to rag on this guy without knowing details.)

Indy

You are right, he could have had a heart attack or health issue, but seeing accidents played out like this many times over the years it's usually operator error; not doing your homework regarding the waters, alcohol, speed, distraction, being in over your head, ego.

Any follow-up to the story?

frickstyle

Fully agree, just saying some people are quick to choose sides, without even knowing 1% of the true story.

I look at it as in the same camp; when something truly freakish happens in a high speed accident (ex: steering failure / drive failure = spin out and ejection) - the general public has the sentiment "Well, that A-hole in the loud boat deserves it. He's prob a rich prick and had it coming to him." I don't have a lot of tolerance for that and try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

I saw a truly nasty river boat accident on IG where someone ran head on into a piling, tree, or power pole in a hydro(?). Split it right down the middle bow to transom, killed the guy instantly (this was recently in FLA). turns out a gust of wind got under the boat, picked it up, turned it starboard, set it down and WHAM! He was prob running 80-100mph. For sure there were a lot of people blaming it on alcohol, not the case. Don't be so quick to judge, it might be you next time... (not directed at you Indy).

Remember that guy that ran his Baja up into the covered floating docks (LOTO?)... heartattack. Just pisses me off people feel the need to comment (where you there??? come on.)

Anyways - would really like to hear the full story on this if anyone has it.

Keith Atlanta

Auto pilot wouldnt have hit the rocks, would it? When we run autopilot in my buddys Invincible it is incredibly accurate.

Griff

Heart attack thing was BS. He was walking around and people who were there said he was drunk and beer cans all over the boat. He then complained of having a heart attack/chest pain and went to the hospital and was released the next day I believe. Not sure if the WP got a BAC on him or if he got a BWI though.