Tragedy on the water close to home.

[Tim Diebert]

Last night some damn fool let 60 young people fill up a house boat that was certified for 30. They hired the boat, and I assume hired a skipper. All employees of a local restaurant we eat at in Kelowna. Celebrating one of their friends birthdays.

Less than a minute from the dock, the weight of people on the top deck capsized the boat. Right in the marina. While they were singing happy birthday.

These people owe a lot to a group of folks having a beer after a soft ball game at Roses Bar and Grill. They were on the patio and saw it all happen. These were all Firemen. They jumped the rail and dove in, swam to the boat and started rescuing folks. 60 of them. 10 firefighters. Not a life jacket to be seen. There were several non swimmers in the group. One of the fireguys had to break a glass window, underwater, to let trapped people free. It was pandemonium in the dark. It took hours just to figure out if they had everybody.....and they still weren't sure until about 11 this morning when they sent police divers in there to search.

Broken arms and legs, cold and shock. One young lady died.

If that boat was even another 100 or 200 feet further out....there would have been more fatalities. If they had made it out into the lake (Okanogan Lake) they may have all died. 60 people. Young people 18 to 22. Because some idiot thinks he is a 'skipper' or something. Man I am pissed.....and sad.

[PAR]

I know the feeling Tim. Down here, it's summer all year long and that seems to draw bone heads from all corners. Every year there's many situations where folks get hurt and killed from someone no braining themselves into a hole.

Lets be grateful the docks had the fire fighters hanging out, the boat hadn't gotten very far and that lady luck shines on buttheads too. It's not that there are too few fools in the world, it's just that lightning doesn't strike very accurately.

I wouldn't think a professional skipper would risk a ride with twice capacity aboard. A few over on a hefty boat sure, but not double. I hope the alpha in charge (there's always one) gets a day in front of a judge (after spend time in a dark alley with the friends and family of the girl killed and those injured)

[Guest]

Ouch, not too much to say but a genuine lapse of judgement.

[Barry Pyeatt]

I saw the pictures and interviews on the news. Makes you wonder just where their heads were at. I can't imagine that anyone with any degree of common sense would even have considered that could be anywhere near a viable situation. You really don't have to be a boater to recognize when something isn't right. Too many people is just :roll: too many people. They were extremely lucky that a large percentage of them were not seriously injured or killed.

[Tim Diebert]

Originally I was pissed thinking there was a hired skipper, but as it turns out it was a bare boat charter....so one of the kids was in 'charge' I presume. No doubt serious quantities of booze were ingested. Kelowna is party central.

They are partly blaming the hull design now too. I saw an interview with a guy who owned another house boat exactly like it. He maxes his at 20! but usually no more than 10 people.

The one that went down also had a full hot tub on the roof! :shock: :shock:

[Dave R1]

If I was the manufacturer of the hull, I'd be pissed that they're blaming the design for this. I suppose there are lawyers all over this looking to sue someone and make a few bucks for themselves.

My sympathies to the family of the young lady who died.

[Greg Luckett]

I just saw this on the news. I didn't realize it was dark until I saw the video. Sad about the young lady drowning, but glad no one else was seriously injured.

Thanks for telling about it.

[Tom Lathrop]

Tim,

In addition to the capacity number, the Coast Guard rates a commercial passenger boat on the number of people on the highest deck, all of them on one side. The boat had no chance. Actually they were probably lucky that the upper deck was so overloaded since the boat capsized as soon as it left the dock. Otherwise it would have gotten further out before something disturbed the balance.

Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.

Should be a lot of good judgement around there right now.

:idea:

[Tim Diebert]

Well, it is only the transportation safety folks saying the hull played a part, not the reason I would think. The boat looks well made and well designed....for the correct load. I have now seen the thing shored up.

I also saw the window the fireman had to break to get the kids out. Yikes.

Tom, I am with you there. I am sure there is an official rating, but when a vessel such as this is rented out to third party folks...who is there to make sure they know and follow the code? In the beginning I figured there had to be a pro skipper involved, but at this point I guess there was not. 18-22 year olds are not interested in anything but beer and partying. They were old enough to rent the thing and operate it.....but not smart enough to be safe I guess.

And I agree, it is a very good thing.... in a weird way....that they were SO overloaded as to capsize only a few feet from the dock and a few feet from some pro rescue folks. If they were out on the lake, this may have ended up being added to the list of Canada's worst maritime disasters.

I am a little shocked that this event has shown up on American TV news.

It has led all the Canadian broadcasts since it happened. Both radio and tv.

It will be weeks before everything is sorted out and we know what actually happened.

Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.

Amen to that. Judgement is the word of the day around here.