Liberty is being free from the things we don't like in order to be slaves of the things we do like.--Ernest Benn

Monday, October 17, 2011

Puddingstone Reservoir

News Item: Lake Closed Following Deadly Boating Crash
SAN DIMAS, Calif. (KABC) -- Three people were killed and four were injured in a boating accident at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on Saturday.

Authorities said the collision between a personal watercraft and a boat happened sometime around 4:30 p.m. in the launching area near 250 Puddingstone Drive.

Three women, all from the same family, died at the scene. Authorities said the women were riding a three-seat personal watercraft when they were hit by a 20-foot powerboat. Their ages and identities were not immediately available.

The four people injured were on the boat. Three suffered moderate injuries and were taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center for treatment. The fourt person, who had minor injuries, was also taken to the hospital. All of the injured were expected to survive.

It's not yet known if speed was a factor. There was no indication that alcohol was involved.
Speed was not a factor?

It's hard to believe that we spent a decade beating our brains out racing Lasers and International-14's on this pitifully small (250 acre) lake which was divided evenly between ski boats and sailing. Even though our Lasers stayed on their tandem trailer for years after we purchased our first keel boat, we never went back to that mad house, which was only three stop lights away from where we lived. 



Trained ourselves. Trained our kids. Had some good companionships. But we coulda woulda shoulda had a lot better sailing if power-boaters had been banned completely.

It's a culture thing.

2 comments:

  1. The issue you bring up is most important: Mixed use of a very confined space. This is much more than bad planning. More like industrial strength stupid. Does one really need to run any kind of power boat on a piece of water that is only 1/2 to 4/5 of a mile wide? And if so, is there any reason to mix power boats, PWCs, sailboats, and swimmers? The mind boggles.

    Last year we had a tragedy on the river running out of Lake Hinuma. It involved two PWCs, one ran into the other - one person killed, three others injured.

    "It's a culture thing" - yep. The culture of the age of oil.

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