Boating safety

I'm posting this message in the hopes it will help heighten the awareness of how dangerous boating can be. In this past weekend's Elk's tournament, we were running our boat which is a 27" Grady White north to our intended fishing destination. There was a dark blue hulled boat running about 100 feet off my starboard side, a relatively safe distance away. Since the sun was rising in the east, it somewhat obscured my vision of the boat so to be safe I decided to stay slightly behind this boat so he was at about 1:00 off my starboard side.

While running north between the MI and the SRI, a light blue or light green hulled center with I believe twin or maybe even trip outboards decides to run between my boat and the boat off my starboard. The boat in question has what looked to be two blue LED lights midship on it's port side and possibly it's starboard side, I remember seeing the port side of the vessel in question in the MI waiting for the flare to be fired and remember the LED lights on her side. The idiot running this boat had to be clocking I would guess 30 to 35 knots and instead of going around my boat or the boat running off my starboard, he decides to run straight between us and in doing so came within no more than 10 feet of us again clocking probably 35 knots! This again is at high speed and with wakes as you all know caused by the shot gun start. If either boat veered off course slightly, it would have been a disaster. I didn't get the boat's name but anyone who knows which boat I'm talking about I'd appreciate you sending me a a pm since I don't want this playing out on the board. But in general I will tell you there was absolutely no reason for the captain of that vessel to steer the course he did and in doing so put my crew as well as his crew in danger.

The shot gun start at the Elk's is dangerous enough, getting to the fishing grounds minutes sooner is not worth risking a boating accident or worse. There are more and more center consoles every year with trip / quad OB's. They're great looking boats and built for speed. Using that speed to pass within spitting distance at a high rate of speed is irresponsible and risking people's lives. It's a big ocean out there, nothing wrong with spreading out in a shot gun start. It's a fishing tournament, not a damn grand prix event! To the Captain of the boat I'm talking about, if you see this post slow the &$%^ down. You have no idea the danger you exposed my crew and your crew to. If either boat pitched for any reason, it would have been a complete disaster.

Dakota