What most likely really saved these people’s lives was the fact they were all wearing life jackets. Without those devices this would have probably been a totally different story. Shame on the skipper for overloading his boat but high praises and awe toward him for having the crew wear protective gear. There were two, too many people in that boat (I used to own a 20ft. aluminum boat and I know what I’m talking about), particularly considering the windy conditions of the day.

One of the reasons I sold my boat recently, is the general unsafe conditions and poor boating skills I was seeing around that port almost every time I went out. It’s just a matter of time until there is a major accident in or near that facility. Boating is a huge responsibility and there needs to be some good law enforcement in and near our port, particularly during the busy boating, fishing and crabbing seasons. Large and small boats routinely travel way too fast in the port area, including the Whale watching rigs and there is an obvious lack of knowledge about the boating rules of the road and general seamanship. How ’bout some routine patrols and tickets being handed out from that nifty police/fire boat that sits at the pier 90% of the time?