Fatal boat accident is a mystery - unlit channel marker

Two men in a boat that slammed into a marker buoy in Victoria's southeast were killed instantly by the force of the crash, Victoria police say. The impact punched a large hole in the bow of the 5.4 metre runabout, which was taking on water circling under its own throttle when it was found at Lakes Entrance just after midnight, a spokesman said. Authorities say it is still a mystery how the two men, aged 35 and 36, failed to notice the buoy which was well marked on marine and boating maps.

Unlit channel markers can be very hazardous. Many are not required to be lit.

Dwayne

Gasparilla Boaters Beware; Officers Out to Scuttle Drunken Pirates

TAMPA, Fla. - More than 50 law-enforcement officers, including crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department, will partner to keep local waterways safe during the upcoming Gasparilla Day celebration. Law-enforcement officers will provide educational information to boaters, conduct safety inspections afloat and target boaters operating watercraft under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Keep it clean.

Dwayne

Coast Guard Charges Tug Captain in McTeer Bridge Allision

From Coast Guard News

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Coast Guard completed its preliminary investigation into the allision between the crane barge towed by the Sara Kaitlin and the McTeer Bridge near Beaufort, S.C., April 26, 2007. The Coast Guard charged Captain Wright Gres, the operator of the Sara Kaitlin at the time of the accident, with negligence and misconduct. Specifically, the Coast Guard charged that the Captain: (1) did not take due care to ensure the boom could safely pass beneath the bridge, (2) operated beyond the scope of his license and (3) failed to immediately report the collision, as required by Coast Guard regulations. As part of the settlement agreement approved by an Administrative Law Judge, Gres agreed to a six month suspension of his license and will attend a Coast Guard approved Bridge Resource Management class.

Fallen Coast Guardsmen Remembered

 

Fallen Coast Guardsmen Remembered.

Crown Princess - NTSB: Crew to Blame for Tilting Ship

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Improper training and bad steering by a Princess Cruises ship's second officer caused the vessel to tilt suddenly in 2006, injuring almost 300 people, the National Transportation Safety Board determined Thursday. The NTSB said the Crown Princess' captain and crew failed to realize how fast they were going in shallow water, which threw the ship off course. The second officer disengaged autopilot to correct it, then steered the wrong way, the board determined

Jacksonville Officer Nearly Killed in Crash Wins Settlement

By Kristin Smith First Coast News JACKSONVILLE, FL -- One of the JSO officers hurt in a Super Bowl boat crash has now reached a settlement with the state. James Burnet was helping provide security for the game in Jacksonville in 2005. His boat crashed into concrete pilings along the Fuller Warren bridge, leaving him with a broken neck and severe facial injuries.

Iranian Boats Approach USN Ships

BAHRAIN (NNS) -- Following a routine transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Jan. 6, three U.S. Navy ships operating in international waters in the Persian Gulf were approached by five Iranian small boats that demonstrated irresponsible confrontational behavior near the U.S. ships, according to the Navy.

video of incident here: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4104881

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All

4 dead after explosion at T2 Labs chemical plant in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE - An explosion and fire at a chemical plant killed four people Wednesday and injured at least 14, fire officials said. It was not clear what caused the explosion about 1:30 p.m. at the T2 Laboratories Inc. plant, which makes chemical solvents and fuel additives, said Tom Francis, a fire rescue spokesman. The chemicals at the plant made the environment "incredibly dangerous for the first responders," Francis said. "Explosions were generating all kinds of side brush fires and other kinds of blazes."

FWC: Fisherman Killed In Boating Accident in Jacksonville - Dixie Mama

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Jacksonville man died in a boating accident Sunday, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Fishermen near Clapboard Creek Bridge off the St. Johns River found Fred Francis Odom, 57. The fishermen called 911, and the victim’s body was recovered by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, which had the first crew at the scene. Odom reportedly was attempting to secure his commercial fishing vessel, a 1967 31-foot Sea Skiff named “Dixie Mama,” which had broken free from its anchor. According to FWC investigator Kevin Larson, an 8-foot dinghy was found adrift nearby. “It appears that this tragedy was an accidental drowning and emphasizes the importance of wearing a life jacket when on the water,” Larson said. Odom was not wearing a life jacket, according to FWC. FWC continues to investigate the accident.

Crew members' location still unknown

The mother of one of four missing crew members aboard the charter boat Joe Cool is pleading for help from the South Florida boating community to resume the search for the victims. Leanne Van Laar has enlisted volunteers from the nonprofit Texas EquuSearch to help her find out what happened to her daughter, Kelley Branam, who disappeared along with husband captain Jake Branam and two crew members after two men allegedly hijacked the boat in September. But the Texas group does not have a boat; it needs a craft 40-to-60-feet long to conduct a search of the waters and atolls from Miami to south of Bimini, Bahamas, according to Cindy Wisdom, Texas EquuSearch case manager. Wisdom and Van Laar hope someone will agree to donate a boat for up to three days.

Man falls 50 feet aboard cruise ship

MIAMI - A man who fell 50 feet aboard a cruise ship Friday morning has been taken back to land and is being treated for injuries at Jackson Memorial Hospital, officials said. The man fell sometime before 5 a.m. aboard the Norwegian Majesty, a cruise traveling from the Florida Keys to Charleston, N.C., according to a report by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. He fell within the ship and not into the water.

Boaters had better have insurance

Who needs it? You do. Many boaters are on the water without adequate insurance coverage or none at all. In today's world, that's a bad idea. Although few, if any states require boats to be insured like automobiles, it's a good idea if you have anything more than a minimal investment in it. If you have a loan with the boat as collateral, their lender usually will require you to keep the boat insured. However, this may not be sufficient to protect you since they are only interested in getting their money if tragedy strikes.

A UM research ship ran aground on a coral reef last month but never reported the damage. The school now faces potentially heavy penalties and costs.

The University of Miami's marine research ship struck and stuck fast on a shallow reef in Biscayne National Park, then cruised on without reporting the incident. The university and the ship's captain both could face potentially heavy penalties for the grounding, which left the 96-foot F.G. Walton Smith wedged on a patch of coral for about an hour just southeast of Elliott Key last month.

Coast Guard Medevacs Injured Crewman off Vessel Midnight Brave

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard medevaced a 30-year-old man from a vessel approximately 100-miles south of Lake Charles, La., this afternoon. A watchstander at Air Station New Orleans received a call at 9 a.m., from the Eighth District Command Center, reporting that a crewman working on the vessel Midnight Brave had been injured and was requesting a medevac.