In the course of a week and a half:
* a Methuen veteran who served in Iraq is killed when he is struck -- on his boat -- by another boater on the Merrimack River
* a pair of Jet Skis collide on Cobbett's Pond, injuring an operator
* a Derry man drowns on Lake Massabesic in Auburn, NH when his kayak rolls. Officials say he did not know how to swim...and he was not wearing a life preserver.
Here in the Merrimack Valley, boating season is short, generally May through early October. If you factor in unseasonably cold and rainy weather, you're looking at three months of suitable boating weather.
If God didn't want us to boat, he wouldn't have given us fiberglass. Or bodies of water. The problem is, way too many people are on watercraft who left common sense back on land.
All of the above accidents could have been avoided. All of them.
In the first instance, three idiots in a small craft were jumping the wake from a bigger boat. Even though they were warned to stay away, they got dangerously close. So close they made contact with the larger 22-foot boat on which the Methuen veteran was riding. There's a reason the law states you must keep at least 150 feet from other boats. The impact pitched an unconcious Juan Guzman into the river. His body was found by divers several days later.
The law includes Jet Skis that wouldn't collide if they were at the required distance.
Finally, if you can't swim, why not take the drastic step of wearing a life jacket when you're in a boat, kayak or canoe.
Boating can be a fun-filled way to spend the summer. Providing all parties use some common sense.
