Sailboat Hits Bridge

[hellosailor]

You're totally missing the point, Jim. He's a loose cannon, and it doesn't matter how much damage his boat can do to that bridge. He still HIT A BRIDGE and that was, counting the four grounds, his FIFTH HIT OF THE DAY.

Let's suppose next time he just runs over an itsy bitsy kayak and only kills one kayaker. That doesn't matter either, because the sixth hit is just a small target?

The man has proven, five times, that he cannot control his boat or the collateral damages that might follow. His age doesn't matter, what he hit doesn't matter. What matters is that he's proven he can't control an object which IS capable of causing significant damage.

In most states, if you racked up 3 moving violations in your car in the same day, you're license would be suspended and the car impounded. Because again, it doesn't matter what or even if you hit, you've proven you can't or won't control the vehicle.

Suppose he just drifts into your boat at the dock and t-bones it, and your insurer totals the boat because it is so easy to snap the rigging and separate all the bulkhead tabs with one good t-bone. Is that OK, because all he's done is hit your boat?

Raise the bar a bit. Five hits in one day should be a strike-out.

[mbianka]

I recently finished up my annual cruise to New York.
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: ELECTRIC SAILBOAT CRUISE TO NEW YORK 2011
Heading back the Coast Guard shut down the west channel of the East River because the U.N was in session. So all marine traffic had to use the east channel which had a lift bridge the clearance of which was below my mast height. So I had never gone through the east channel. Coast Guard boats with machine guns persuaded me that was the way I needed to go. Luckily the bridge opened for me the bridge operator said I had 70 foot of clearance (my boat needs 55). I had to trust him because from my perspective in the cockpit I was not sure if the mast would clear it. Perspective is a funny thing.