Buoy + Power Boat = BOOM!

[sailorboy1]

So yesterday I was sailing into Boston via the main channel. For those that don't know Boston has 2 main channels separated by around 200-300' and both are very well marked and pretty wide open. Even the middle ground between them is safe for most boats and has a low spot of around 10'.

So sailing along watching out for other sail boats we were passing and watching the power boats fly down the channel..................when BOOM! All aboard start looking around for what exploded! We look a little behind us in the channel across from us and see a bouy just starting to come back upright. Then we notice a 25-30' power boat just past that slowing down. We get out our spy glass and see the boat full of activity and realize that they ran into the bouy. Now this bouy was the only thing to hit (other than some sail boats in the area and they weren't near any of those) in the area and the channel itself was very wide open, especially for a power boat drawing 3'.

We watch to see if we should turn around toward them to offer help. But notice they don't seem to be sinking and are starting to turn around and slow down. Mean while all the other sail boats in the general area all start to un-trim their sails and slow down. As the sailboats collect you can hear all people on them talking about the a-hole who just ran into the bouy.

As the power boat slowly starts catching back up to us we can see they have a hole at forward hull/deck join. but appear to be in no danger. As they pass we all feel there is some wife laying into some guy for not looking where they were going (we didn't really see this, they just looked really depressed as they slowly went by).

While we felt bad because of the damage this owner just had to his boat; we all took forbidden pleasure in a powerboat ....................well you know.