Boating Accident Claims Three

I would like to send my condolences out to the families and friends of Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith, and William Bleakley the young men who perished after the boat they were sailing in capsized early this month off the Florida coast. Apparently it has been concluded that improper anchoring of the boat caused the accident. When the men could not pull up the anchor they tried to free it by thrusting the boat forward, it then capsized. One of the men managed to swim underneath and get three life vests. According to Nick Schuyler (the only survivor), the four men clung to the capsized boat and held on as long as they could but the extreme conditions finally took their toll, and claimed the lives of his three friends. This is an incredible tragedy that words cannot even describe.

One would not think that accidents such as this are common in Arizona because we are not located on the coast> However, the truth is that residents of Maricopa County own more boats per capita than any other county in the United States. With Phoenix and the surrounding communities located in the middle of the desert, it should come as no surprise that boating is one of the area's top recreational pastimes. We have several beautiful nearby lakes that will soon become quite populated with the warm weather fast approaching. The combination of people, and fun, brings with it the need for careful attention and common sense.

Boaters need to be very familiar with their vessels. They need to respect their own limitations. In this case the men were in a 21-foot boat about 50 miles off shore----it has been said that in this size boat, they should not have been more than 20 to 30 feet off shore in the ocean.

People should be able to enjoy their summer and take advantage of the many outdoor amenities Arizona has to offer, but these privileges and benefits do not come without responsibility and common sense. Please keep in mind that you should take every precaution available—whether you are boating, skiing, biking, rollerblading, etc…. Respect the fact that Mother Nature may not always be good natured, and, that others may not always be so careful.