If you're reading this......turn your bloody lights on!

[max pwr]

To the morons who think it's ok to sit around peel and Goat Island last night with no lights I hope the water police get you and give you a big fine and a kick up the backside :evil:

There's no moon and no light and it's not good enough to turn on your lights when someone is approaching 50 metres away.

Then you shine your LED light bar straight at me and blind me for ten minutes. Cheers for that.

On the upside I caught an 84cm snap

Hope you got STUFF all :evil: :evil:

[ellicat]

Hmmm, Not smart. :evil:

Worse still is they seem to have shortened a good snapper story

[still here]

Would you be a snitch if you rang the water police and told them at the time?

As you say, they hit you with the search light and blind you to see what you're doing without any thought to what they're doing to your night vision.

They probably won't read this either to start thinking.

[max pwr]

Not having a go at the water police but the only time I see them is around the bay doing checks on people's safety gear which is important.... Particularly at harries they're there all the time pulling up to boats drift fishing the reef.

It would be nice to see them patrol the Gold Coast seaway a bit more with idiot jet skiers and parasailing tourist operators flying at warp speed 5m away from anchored boats.... And maybe quieter areas at night like peel island and also in the Gold Coast estuaries with idiots doing 20 knots at night with no lights.

Probably not practical or cost efficient but there's lots of really dangerous stuff I witness every time I put the boat in the water and it does make me wonder if the policing is done where it is most effective sometimes.

[Binder]

Ha! Next you'll be asking motor bike and push bike riders to obey the law as well!

[demarc]

Not having a go at the water police but the only time I see them is around the bay doing checks on people's safety gear which is important.... Particularly at harries they're there all the time pulling up to boats drift fishing the reef.

It would be nice to see them patrol the Gold Coast seaway a bit more with idiot jet skiers and parasailing tourist operators flying at warp speed 5m away from anchored boats.... And maybe quieter areas at night like peel island and also in the Gold Coast estuaries with idiots doing 20 knots at night with no lights.

Probably not practical or cost efficient but there's lots of really dangerous stuff I witness every time I put the boat in the water and it does make me wonder if the policing is done where it is most effective sometimes.

I can totally relate to your story man. I left Raby Bay Saturday AM at 5. We were just leaving the leads and I was just getting onto the plane. Next minute i saw something flash by my left side. We stopped and looked, it was a kayaker with no lights on!!!!! We could have reached out the side of the boat and hit the fella, he must have been in my path and paddled out when he saw me coming, real quick. I couldn't see him at all! So bloody dangerous. He was with a group of 5, and he was the only one without lights.

One day there is going to be an accident and these clowns will come undone. Not very good at all and the boatie will be blamed...

[Tybo]

Me too, I can totally relate, I had a similar scenario Sunday night heading back to the ramp. In between Dohles Rocks and Deep water bend, the channel becomes skinny, especially at the bottom of the tide, which it was. Two guys, no lights, sitting not 20 metres off the only beacon that I was using as my guide. At 25kts, I only saw them about 50 metres away from them and my only option was to swerve between them and the beacon. Tight squeeze but I made it, and looking back at them saw a boat about 300 metres behind do exactly the same thing, following my lead so they didn't see them either. Getting back to the ramp, the unlit boat followed me back also, this time with their nav. lights on. One of the blokes(who was actually quite calm considering) wanted me to check me prop, believed that as I'd gone past I'd jagged his brand new $600 rod and reel and it'd flown out of the boat. He was hoping that the braid was still caught around the leg of my motor, with his rod attached, unfortunately not. I felt sorry for the guy, never the fishing trip anyone wants. But alas, I think there was a lesson to be learnt.

[Binder]

He was certainly and idiot - but I'd also say if you saw him from 50m away, that should have given you enough of time to back off and obey the law and drop to 6 knots as you passed him.

[Tybo]

...but I'd also say if you saw him from 50m away, that should have given you enough of time to back off and obey the law and drop to 6 knots as you passed him.

Very true and rightfully chastised. However 50m is my way of saying very close(hard to judge exact distance in the night) and a certain speed, seconds away. My options were the boat, the beacon or the sandbank, startled and I decided to drive myself out of the danger. As said a boat considerable distance behind me, did the exact same thing. Next time in certain areas I'll be wary and back off just to be sure.