Our prayers are with all the families involved. God Bless.
Chris Reindl

I hate to hear this.....

Thoughts and prayers to the family,

Body Of Missing Boater Found In Ohio River

RELATED WCPO STORY

Boat Capsizes, Boater Missing (08/10/03)

Search For Boat's Driver Continues (08/12/03)



Reported by: AP/9News
Web produced by: Stacy Puzo
Photographed by: 9News
8/13/03 11:25:29 AM

Indiana authorities say the engine on a boat involved in a fatal accident on the Ohio River last weekend was too powerful for a pleasure craft.
Sergeant Bill Baumbauer of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the boat had an 800 horsepower engine and the craft may have been doing as much as one-hundred miles per hour.

The accident killed 39-year-old Graham Codrington of Petersburg, Kentucky and left four other people injured.

A ten-year-old boy suffered broken bones. Codrington's body was found late Tuesday.

Baumbauer says the boat may have hit a wake Sunday afternoon, causing it to flip end over end. He says the boat's engine was more like an auto engine.

Very sorry to hear of this loss.

I am the widow of Graham Codrington, who was killed on August 10, 2003, driving a 2000 21' Elliminator CAT. I have just read all of the postings to offshoreonly.com and am surprised and pleased to find so many more people heard about it. Thank you for your prayers and concerns.

Graham was an excellent boat operator and swimmer. There was nothing on the water he could not drive, and in a safe manner I must add. There are reports from the passengers that the boat was going in excess of 100 m.p. Well I must clarify this...the passengers of the boat have given statements that the boat was going around 70. The boat had a 520-600 hp engine in it. There was a storn brewing and the winds had whipped up some waves all of a sudden with no warning. Graham was in the process of turning the boat around when he hit the wake. The CAT cork-screwed into the wake and the front driver's side actually exploded apart. I am having the design of the boat investigated for faulty design. Hopefully, if I find this to be true, there will be no one else injured in this type of situation.

Graham was a really good man, a loving husband, hard worker, and loyal companion to all his friends. He will be greatly missed. There were over 500 attendants to his memorial service. Unfortunately, due to a strained relationship with his father, Antony, and his older brother, Peter, they did not attend the service. All of those who loved him were there, and enough said about that.

Again, thanks for your prayers.

Sheila Codrington, loving widow of Graham A. Codrington - taken too soon in life.

So sorry Sheila

I am sorry for your loss.

High speed boating is an activity that is fun, and at times dangerous.

I have driven Eliminator boats for many years and our family owns an older 21' Daytona cat w/ a 300 hp outboard. It is a 65 mph boat and I feel very safe in it.

It is difficult to judge the conditions when the weather is changing. I cannot say whether the conditions and the speed the boat where travelling were proper or not. In instances "freak waves" from wakes or other conditions can appear and upset a boats balance. During a turn this can be more dangerous, depending on the speed. Your statement that the boat corkscrewed indicates to me a loss of control. The driver side sponson exploding indicates the boat was airborne and impacted here. Again, I am not an expert. There are experts available to make assesments of crashes. I will caution you to understand that in addition to poor design and construction, there is another more oftenly deduced cause and that is driver error. This is not to say your late husband caused the crash, only to point out the painful possibility this may be the ultimate cause.

Good luck and God Bless.

Sheila,

Sorry for your lose.. I hope you find the strength to carry on.