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Miami Government Cut Boating Accident; Jose Fernandez

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by olderboater, Sep 25, 2016.

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  1. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Jose Fernandez and two others were killed in a middle of the night accident where they ran a 32' SeaVee into a jetty. Time around 3:00 AM. Why oh why can't people learn the dangers of middle of the night entry, especially when not experienced and familiar with the area. Fernandez was a pitcher for the Marlins, 24 years old, superstate. 8 years ago he came to the US by speedboat from Cuba.

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  2. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Early Reports don't state who was driving but the boat was reported to be a local boat owned by a local guy familiar with the area. It's not like that jetty popped out of nowhere and that 32 see vee had to have had a GPS and most likely radar

    They were heading south along the shoreline so it's not like they could have gotten confused by lights on the shore line... Don't understand how they try to take a short cut like that
  3. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Initial reports indicate speed. At 30, 40 or 50 knots at night, things happen fast. I thought the owner wasn't aboard but might be wrong.

    I was shocked that all three died as it just would have seemed at least one of the three would have survived it.

    I'm sure more information will be coming over the next few days.
  4. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    They must have been doing closer to the 50 knots, unless nobody could swim. It's a shame, but tons of people think they can run really fast at night......I could see doing just on plane in a boat like that if you have VERY good visibility at night..... but then again, the Jetty didn't jump out in front of them.
  5. saltysenior

    saltysenior Senior Member

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    no excuse, but the lites that you see from offshore at Gov.Cut are confusing unless you know the area very well.... navigation lites are equivilent to candles when you are looking at the backdrop of down town Miami...sorta like a ship coming into N Y at nite,all lit up so the crew an uncover cargo and hatches....try to find their navigation lites....cruise ships are worst..
  6. C4ENG

    C4ENG Senior Member

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    If they were heading south along the beach, the back drop behind the cut would look very dark. I do not know what that would look like at night as I only been through the cut in shipping lanes.
  7. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    If you're heading due South and that close to the beach (say parallel 1/2 a mile offshore) you would not see any lights in the background, at high tide the jetties only stick up 2-3' from the water.
  8. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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  9. C4ENG

    C4ENG Senior Member

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    Interesting, I looked up the tides and it was a 4:46AM high tide at the cut. The vessel was found around 3 am.
  10. Oscarvan

    Oscarvan Senior Member

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    If that thing did a few summersaults and threw the occupants on the rocks it was game over. Right then and there.

    Experience is a harsh teacher: She gives the test first and then teaches the lesson later.”
  11. saltysenior

    saltysenior Senior Member

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    k


    IF.
  12. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    The backgrounds d is certainly dark when running south bound along the beach but there is still some fain lights from fisher islands and bind that from key biscayne. Even on a moonless night, as in this case, you should spot the jetty.

    Problem is that half the boaters out there don't understand that they need to dim their electronics to preserve their night vision. I've had a few close calls at night with such idiots that were so blinded by their electronics that they couldn't see a farily large and well lit boat till the last minute.
  13. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Speaking of which, in the one picture that's online that was taken at night, all of the bright blue courtesy lights under the gunnel are all still on, as well as the nav lights.
  14. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Note the time. 3:00 AM. How many times must we repeat that other than in your bed room, nothing good ever happens at 3:00 AM. The press has been polite and not asked the hard questions. Why were they out? Where were they coming from?: A million why's. Wherever they were, unless out at sea, they could have gotten a ride home. They say no indication of alcohol or drugs but then there isn't indication of anything. Autopsy might indicate or not. Regardless it was a senseless loss of life in an entirely avoidable boating accident. I feel so for their families, but please do use this to remind all those you know, especially young, what not to do.
  15. Oscarvan

    Oscarvan Senior Member

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    THE biggest gripe I have about modern electronics. You can't dim them down enough. I've used film (like car window tinting) overlays on them and still couldn't get my eyes to where I wanted them......

    That said as a professional aviator I know countless stories where they were doing it right and still ended up somewhere else than they thought they were......

    Here but for the grace.......

    Real easy to "investigate the accident" from behind a keyboard.
  16. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    The time doesn't bother me. We have come home many many times at 3am (or later) whether on personal date nights or on charter. Evenings on the water in miami are beautiful....

    I really won't be surprised when toxicology numbers are released.
  17. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Jose Fernandez is a die hard fisherman and that would explain the time if he was out sword fishing or bottom fishing. In one of his photo's is an entire wall collage of photo's of fish he has caught.
  18. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    I would think you're at the opposite end of the experience spectrum when it comes to that area. Of course, you also don't do it at 60 knots.
  19. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Not perhaps the best choice of words.
  20. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Yeah, I never run over 10ktd at night unless conditions are such that visibility is good enough, like heading towards a lit area or full moon or on the bank where I know the is no traffic,

    Problem around miami are all the idiots with missing lights. Half the boats I see out there at night are missing At least one running light, usually the stern.

    Couple of month ago we were returning to the grove from marine stadium anchorage, around 2 or 3 am, running 9 kts south of the key biscayne causeway when the radar picked up a faint stationary echo, 1/2 mm off. As it got closer I looked and saw nothing until we got maybe 100 yards away and saw two guys in a 16ish skiff fishing with lights what so ever... Anyone running 2o to 25 kts on plane with no radar would have run them over.