A nice day fishing for these folks....BUT....

[Frank]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/viral/see-terrifying-boat-crash-caught-on-video/vi-AAuQv7q

[Norman]

With a boat coming at you with the bow up that high, start your motor and run.  Waving won't do it.

Really feel sorry for the fishers, and in the time frame, hard to make the right decision and carry it out in time.

That is why you should always wear a PFD of some sort, as it eases the decision to go for the water, even off shore.

The one time that "happened to me", the outboard was idling, and I got away, dry, except my feet.  About 4 inches of water in the bilge from the bow wave over the gunwale.

[CharlieJ]

Norm- they had an anchor down- and had NINE seconds to react.  no way-- the stinkpot guy was an ass hole, and should be charged with everything. He violated several formal rules of the road

[Sunset]

I agree with Charlie, The guy was an ass. He might have had all he could take with people anchoring in the channel too. Regardless he is a Giant A H!

[Norman]

I definitely agree with you and Charlie.

My experience turned out differently for two reasons.

We were in the lower Chesapeake Bay, and keeping an all around lookout, as careless boaters are somewhat common.  1, we first saw it coming about a mile away, and started a discussion on how close it might come.  2, I started the outboard, just in case.  If we had been anchored, rather than drift fishing, we would have buoyed the anchor in preparation to getting under way.  There was no one visible as they passed.  We were busy seeing that we did not foul the fishing tackle, and neither of us got the number off the bow.

The one positive in most of the autopilot run downs is that they run for miles without a turn, so an active lookout can protect you.  We fish facing one another, to help make our attention cover 360 degrees, all the time.

There are too many boats under either autopilot or simply careless here.  9 seconds at 30 knots is about a tenth of a mile.  That is too late to do much.  We should not have to be that alert, but it can be necessary.

Fishing in the Florida Keys, especially the Hawk channel can be just as bad, people seem to think they are in the middle of the ocean there.  Several times we have had boats pass within a hundred yards with no one in the cockpit or at the wheel, when we were anchored on the reef.

Constant attention to the surroundings is essential wherever we are, unfortunately.

[CharlieJ]

When leaving Bimini, heading across the great Bahama Bank the charts are printed with course, and rhumb lines, both directions.It's about a 60 mile run to NW Channel Light, across wide open bank, then anther 20 to the Berrys. I left Bimini and was running one of those lines. Several miles  out I saw a large power boat heading my way, on a reciprocal course. Watched him closely and he passed us about 20  yards away and I could see no body at the helm. After about another hour, here came another, and I had to change course to avoid. He may not have hit us, but was way too close for my comfort!

So I disengaged the auto pilot, steered 90 degrees to that Rhumb line and ran a mile or so north, then reset for the course. We had no more near misses.

I commented- One day they'll have a head on out here and no-one will ever know.

Not two weeks later a large power boat, like 58 fee or so, ran INTO the NW Channel light, and came into Bimini with parts of the  light on his foredeck

There be idiots out there!!!

[Norman]

Charlie, fishing in the Hawk channel one completely calm day, anchored on the South side of the reef, we saw a RIB coming with blue light flashing.  It was headed dead on us, but as it was the LAW, we felt safe.  Just a very short distance before running over us, the driver put the helm full over and cut the throttles.  That resulted in a 90 degree heading change and a broad slide to within 3 feet of our gunnel, but also put a wave 6 inches over that gunnel, and into our bilge.  My buddy jumped up and called them all kinds of fool and idiot for trying to sink us in deep water, and having no regard for our lives.  As he slowed down, he asked if ????? was still their boss.  Yes he was!  My buddy then opened his dry box and wrote down their badges, and names off their name tags, and dropped to a lower key, and asked if they had misjudged the size of our boat, they agreed that was the cause of the problem, and commented that we were rather far out for such a small boat.  16 foot aluminum semi V with 16 hp outboard. 

We only went this far out in perfectly calm weather, and watched the sky diligently for any change.  Wide open throttle would put us on a plane in a few seconds, and half would keep it up, and doing close to 20 knots, so land was not far away as long as we were alert.  After discussing all the issues in being safe "out there" they left.  We did not make a report, and hopefully they used better judgement in the later intercepts of anchored boats.

It took quite a long time to sponge all that water out of the bilge, but the fishing was productive, and we had a good day.

When the conditions were not great, we fished the bomb holes back between the keys, or simply stayed on dry land.  A constant eye on the air and clouds and ear on the NOA weather broadcasts kept us safe.  The NOA kept us from going out, but the eye on the sky over rode the best forecast that they broadcast.  Any hint of a thunderstorm kept us ashore.

The same watch that noticed as soon as a cloud puff started getting dark black on the bottom kept us aware of oncoming boats while they were far away, so we could have a plan of action well before time was short.  Except for the DNR.

Yes, Charlie, those buoy to buoy lines on the charts define water to avoid, under way or anchored.  The greater the distance between them, the more dangerous they are.

[CharlieJ]

Understand- I had a similar episode in the ICW in Florida, from a Coast  Guard boat. He was checking other boats, got alongside me, gunned it and slammed into a turn- Actually put water into Tehani's cockpit!!
I got on the vhf and told him what I mthou9ght of his seamanship using his boat number- his crew spun around and loo0ked shocked, as if they had no idea I was there.

He  didn't come back :)