The crash of the Bayliner

[RobH]

Saturday was indeed a gift! My friends at the cabin all seen the look of excitement in my face as whitecaps appeared on Pulaski on Saturday afternoon. Quickly rigging a 7.4 Loft with a brand new Matrix 490 mast (fresh out of the bag), clamping on a fibarspar boom and attaching it to Eric’s old carve 123 I took to the water and enjoyed being overpowered and ripping across the lake. Blessed with having great wind on a sun filled Saturday I thought nothing could ruin the day. Sailing out from my beach after a quick break from a good session, I slogged back out through the wind shadowed area eyeing up the wind line just in front of me. This was to be my last ride of the day as a 21 ft Bayliner had lost sight of me while pulling a tube behind his boat. The driver had most likely spotted me slogging and had no idea that I would be half way across the lake hitting speeds in the upper 20’s within a few seconds. I had no idea that the driver was spending his time watching the tube instead of where he was going or watching for other vessels on the water.
I connected with the wind, pulled in the sail dropped in the lines and planted my feet in the straps and was off with a grin aiming for the west beach. The ride lasted for about 30-45 seconds as half way across and completely powered up disaster struck. I spotted the Bayliner just before the moment of impact. I only had enough time to see that the boat had banked into a right hand turn as the driver had just spotted me and attempting to steer away to avoid the collision. The board and boom hit the back panel of the boat, still fully locked in I went with the rig crashing into the boat and bounced off only to end up behind the boat on the inside wake of the boats turn. The driver never cut power to the boat and as I surfaced wondering what the hell had just happened, cursing like a mad man I felt a rope come across me and what was left of the rig. It was a tube coming right at me, luckily the kid on the tube bailed out just before the tube ran me over.
We were all very fortunate that no one was injured, just shaken and shocked at what had just happened. The driver was clearly concerned and I quickly ran out of cuss words and regained my composure and gave thanks to only gear had been lost. The busted gear, kid on the tube, and myself all made it into the Bayliner as the driver apologized and helped me back to the beach. The damage was amazing, back of the boom was ripped completely off, and the side that hit the boat first was broken off a foot shorter than the side I was harnessed into. The mast was busted in 5 places and sail was ripped in every panel. The board is intact but has some new war wounds and what looks close to be a puncture on the bottom of the board. In retrospect I’m thankful I did not see the boat sooner as if I had bailed off the board instead of bouncing off the side of the boat, I may have been run over by the back of the boat as it cornered.
The driver and I exchanged information and he promised to take care of the damage, unfortunately I had not heard from him since,.
I feel very fortunate to be able to ride the wind another day and wish to remind everyone out there – do not take your eyes off the boats on the lake as they are sure to loose sight of you.

Thankful to still be riding and enjoying the wind
Rob H

BTW: My friends are working on a song to mark the occasion – sung to “Grandma got run over by a reindeer” Of course the title of the new ballad is “Rob got run over by a Bayliner”

[scottchapman]

Glad you hear you are alright Rob. I hope he pays up. Did you get his boat number? I can not believe the guy never cut power to the boat. So you hit the side of the boat and did not fly over it. Was that because of him turning? When I fisrt started windsurfing years ago I was sailing a Hyfly 300 on Medicine Lake. It was a light wind day and I was moving just below planing speed, when I heard a "wheeer" sound. I could not figure out where it was coming from at first, but then I realized it was coming from a float plane taking off behind me. I had a white sail so I don't know if he saw me or not. I droped the sail and got in the water. I was not in his flight path, but would have been if I had kept going. NOt even close to your experience. I have had to whistle loud a few times to wake up a sleeping motorboater driving toward me. Glad to hear you survived and let me know when you need me as a chef for your grill at the next party. Thanks for teaching me to Wakeboard.....it was a blast....Scott

[RobH]

Thanks Scott,
I filled out a report with the sheriff the following day since I didnt hear back from the boat driver/ownner. I did take down the number from the boat myself and verified it. The sheriff ran the numbers and found them to be bogus. Im still not sure how I managed to bounce off the back of the boat and end up on the inside of the wake, I know I didnt fly over the boat so it must have just deflected off the boat and momentum kept me going.
Its a open cabin weekend at my place over Laborday so feel free to stop over anytime, the grill will be hot and if the wind isnt blowing we can play behind the boat.

[Eric S]

HOLY SHIT!

I'm glad you are OK. Dang, that was a close one. Put that in Stories and Knowledge.

dang.

[scottchapman]

Well, if the boater is running from the law then most likely he will not be on your lake again in the near future. But that means he will be on another lake somewhere. Watch out for a Bayliner with a ding in the back corner of the boat from Robb's nose or nose of his board.....Looks like your lake maybe the safest place to sail for the next few weeks. If I am able I might stop out... Thanks for the invite...if you want to e-mail me your phone number I might just call or e-mail you before I come out, just to make sure your still there...

[Rich v]

I would be mad if I were you, too.

I believe it is illegal to tow a skier or tuber with only one person in the boat. Using a mirror might be the possible exception.

Please don't use this guy's carelessness to develop a distrust of all powerboats, however. Having been in both positions there are safety-conscious people who enjoy both activities.

[cp2616]

Rob, you must be livin’ right. Glad to hear that you’re OK and hope you get compensated for your gear. I think it’s worth while to note that I’m always distrustful of Bayliners due to their marketing strategy (i.e. boats for the masses). Generally, the average Bayliner owner is an entry level boater IMO. I frequently kiteboard on one of the busiest lakes in IA (I know that’s not saying much) so boats are constantly a concern. On another note, I often make the 12 mile trip from my house to ski in MN to be legal with only a mirror. In IA you need a third person regardless.

Casey

[Kevinousdigian]

Rob:
I'm glad you survived with just gear damage. About 6 years ago someone got hit near me on WBL on a weekend and I've only been back twice on hot weekends in summer and one of them was last Sunday (10 days ago). I made the trek out to Green on Saturday and felt guilty making the drive but wanted more wind and a near boatless lake vs. WB. I had a great time and it was worth the drive. These accidents can happen on any day but obviously much more likely with tons of boats and many drinking. I think I"ll continue to make the choice to avoid WB on peak weekends when possible.
KO

[jenny]

Wow, glad to hear you are alright. Back in 1990 on Waconia, a pretty large sail/motor boat was heading right for me. I thought for sure they have to be able to see me, but they didn't. Scared, I three down my rig and they ran over the top of the sail/mast. After they hit, they still didn't acknowledge me or my rig. Nothing like what happened with you, but definitely not fun. Happy Sailing. Jenny J