Boat sinks near Gig Harbor, WA with one fatality

[KTP]

Originally Posted by sabreline

THIS is why we do everything we can to pass restrictions against anchoring. MOST boaters don't abuse the privilege but those that don't are a real pain.

No

The solution is not to pas more restrictions against anchoring, because that just punishes those of us who obey the law.

It is like passing a law to make murder more illegal. All you need to do is enforce the existing laws. We don't need more laws limiting the freedom of people who actually obey the laws.

[Sand crab]

[QUOTE=Rorzech;2820897]

Originally Posted by Sand crab

I live very close and see these boats everyday because it's the main thoroughfare to get into town.

Those thieves who stole there paddles and life jackets are responsible for the death of that man. They wouldn't have been caught out there if they had their paddles. Since they only 30 feet to left to go. Stealing their life jackets is the same as murder ! They should be hunted down and charged with involuntary manslaughter at the very least !

Like I said before this area gets lots of debris and I can easily imagine someone thinking the dinghy, paddles and life jackets were washed up from miles down the bay. I'll bet the dinghy was no prize because their boats sure weren't. I found all kind of crazy stuff washed up in or near the beach. The "sailors" should receive more than half the blame for anchoring there in the first place. And 3 guys and 2 dogs and whatever else they put in the dinghy probably overloaded it. And with a storm predicted at dark. Lots of bad decisions made here. That one boat is still there if anyone wants a freebie.

[Wdlfbio]

Very unfortunate, but perhaps there weren’t paddles, PFDs, and whatnot to begin with. Maybe there weren’t even thieves. Plenty of folks sell off whatever they can for a few bucks worth of meth around here... make stupid decisions, win stupid prizes. No one to blame but themselves.

[mikeod]

Originally Posted by KTP

No

The solution is not to pas more restrictions against anchoring, because that just punishes those of us who obey the law.

It is like passing a law to make murder more illegal. All you need to do is enforce the existing laws. We don't need more laws limiting the freedom of people who actually obey the laws.

You said it right. I have to anchor in the same anchorages as the derilect boats for the same reason they do. Shore access. Because of anchoring and shore access restrictions you have less choice therefore might anchor in not the best place and put yourself in danger.

[SV Windrush II]

Adding more laws does not help this situation, the fact is, Washington state, because of its political agenda does not do anything for the homeless, so they are left to do whatever they can to survive. Living in a boat is not a safe place for someone who has no money and I would not want to claim it is better than living on the street. The street cannot sink or kill you like the water can.
Also it is incidents like this that get all the crazy city governments to write laws that penalize the real sailing and cruising community that spend lots of money on their boats and have all the safety equipment and experience to avoid things like this from happening. The people on the land should not be complaining about yachts not anchoring or cruising anywhere in Puget sound. if they really want to do something, then they can help get programs for these homeless people working so they can provide for themselves.
The homeless will continue to try and break the rules, they don't care about or have the money to pay any penalty. But if I was anchoring there with my yacht, as sure as the world, the authorities would be fining me and kicking me out of there if I over stay or in a place where anchoring is not allowed.
So rules only affect the law abiding people that the state can squeeze money out of, which is very unfair and restricts where we can anchor or cruise and enjoy a legitimate lifestyle.

[Sand crab]

There are lots of places to anchor safely for free around here but Henderson Bay is not one of them. It's just too frikkin windy but windsurfers and kiteboarders say it's the best place around. On the other side of the peninsula is Gig Harbor and they have a free pumpout. There are dozens of boats anchored there now.

Anyway that last boat has now washed up on the beach and I reckon the derelict boat barge will come along and haul it off. That oyster barge is still anchored out there so I suspect they have the proper ground tackle for the prevalent conditions.