I do not drink and pilot my boat. There is no need to do so because just being on the water is joy enough. Besides, who wants to smash up a boat that costs too much, is used too little and doesn’t have brakes on it?
Many years ago, I took my family on a lake for a Sunday afternoon. My children were small and just thrilled to be exploring on the water. That is, until some young adults in a jet powered boat, doing at least 50 mph, almost hit us broadside. They laughed as they passed us as if it was a thrill to come that close to killinga family with small children. We were in a narrow passage between two lakes that had No Wake signs posted prominently at 500 feet intervals.
We later saw them on the lake and noted the beer cans they dumped overboard. One lad looked like his stomach was upset by the way he kept facing the water and throwing up. He probably thought that was the worst thing that could have happened to him.
We stayed clear of them and went to the other side of the lake. We stopped at a waterside restaurant and enjoyed an early dinner. I mentioned to one of the waiters that some rowdies on the lake are a real danger to others. He agreed and told us several deaths occur each year and that there are not enough resources to patrol the lake constantly. “If parents would only do their job!” my older son spouted. The waiter laughed and agreed as he handed me the bill.
We returned cautiously to our ramp after dinner. We were extra attentive as we approach the channel to cross between lakes. When we enterred the other lake, we saw emergency vehicles on the roadside next to the riprap that protected the bridge underpass. Many people were looking down from the riprap into the water. As we neared the area, we heard shouting and crying, then we saw that jet boat – what was left of it. It appeared from the blankets that there were four bodies pulled onto the embankment rising to the roadside. I recalled that there were five lads on that boat. As we passed slowly on our way to the ramp we saw one lad sitting on the roadside. He was screaming while a woman tried to hold and comfort him. A policeman stood over the the two and appeared to be writing on a pad.
When we pulled out and were on our way home my older son spoke sullenly, “I guess their parents will have to do their job now. But it would have been easier to teach them safety than to bury them.” I agreed and explained that some parents love themselves more than their children and cannot face doing their job. He didn’t fully understand what I had said until many years later when his son asked a question as to why he couldn’t ride his bike in the street like his friend. He bent down to look into the little guy’s eyes and said, “I love you enough to do my job and right now that means learning safety first.”
How could anyone argue with that!
I do not drink and pilot my boat. There is no need to do so because just being on the water is joy enough. Besides, who wants to smash up a boat that costs too much, is used too little and doesn’t have brakes on it?
Many years ago, I took my family on a lake for a Sunday afternoon. My children were small and just thrilled to be exploring on the water. That is, until some young adults in a jet powered boat, doing at least 50 mph, almost hit us broadside. They laughed as they passed us as if it was a thrill to come that close to killinga family with small children. We were in a narrow passage between two lakes that had No Wake signs posted prominently at 500 feet intervals.
We later saw them on the lake and noted the beer cans they dumped overboard. One lad looked like his stomach was upset by the way he kept facing the water and throwing up. He probably thought that was the worst thing that could have happened to him.
We stayed clear of them and went to the other side of the lake. We stopped at a waterside restaurant and enjoyed an early dinner. I mentioned to one of the waiters that some rowdies on the lake are a real danger to others. He agreed and told us several deaths occur each year and that there are not enough resources to patrol the lake constantly. “If parents would only do their job!” my older son spouted. The waiter laughed and agreed as he handed me the bill.
We returned cautiously to our ramp after dinner. We were extra attentive as we approach the channel to cross between lakes. When we enterred the other lake, we saw emergency vehicles on the roadside next to the riprap that protected the bridge underpass. Many people were looking down from the riprap into the water. As we neared the area, we heard shouting and crying, then we saw that jet boat – what was left of it. It appeared from the blankets that there were four bodies pulled onto the embankment rising to the roadside. I recalled that there were five lads on that boat. As we passed slowly on our way to the ramp we saw one lad sitting on the roadside. He was screaming while a woman tried to hold and comfort him. A policeman stood over the the two and appeared to be writing on a pad.
When we pulled out and were on our way home my older son spoke sullenly, “I guess their parents will have to do their job now. But it would have been easier to teach them safety than to bury them.” I agreed and explained that some parents love themselves more than their children and cannot face doing their job. He didn’t fully understand what I had said until many years later when his son asked a question as to why he couldn’t ride his bike in the street like his friend. He bent down to look into the little guy’s eyes and said, “I love you enough to do my job and right now that means learning safety first.”
How could anyone argue with that!