Posted on 08/06/2017 6:38:59 PM PDT by BenLurkin
All were from Troop 620 in Hallsville and wore personal flotation devices. Lightfoot says the catamaran was on fire, with sails up, when game wardens arrived.
Lightfoot says the preliminary investigation indicates the sailboat came in contact with the power line.
(Excerpt) Read more at joplinglobe.com ...
Ewwwww.
So sad.
No one said a flotation device could guarantee your safety.
...sailboat and a power line....lotsa questions
Prayers for the families.
Oh, that’s dreadful. My sympathies to all their friends and family.
Probably an aluminum mast.
Indeed. That's not some area that is lightly traveled - there are three marinas on that lake. More party barges than sailboats, but still...
‘One boater says he is still puzzled by the incident. Logan Green says, “There are always sail boats on this lake but I’ve never heard anything about a sail boat being struck by a power line, so that’s kind of...my first reaction was ‘how did that even happen’ because I don’t really understand.”’
http://www.kristv.com/story/36073485/two-boys-scouts-electrocuted-and-killed-while-sailing
...if the Cat was first time at the lake...or the power line was a temporary thing....????
That's what caused a blackout starting in OH years ago.
Still, it's the captain's responsibility to pay attention to such things.
I did the same thing, by raising the mast—which struck overhead wires. I heard my mistake ringing overhead, but the boat was on a trailer, and still attached to the car. Nothing grounded the mast. There may be catamarans around with wooden masts, but they'd be rare and outdated by 50 years.
Most sailboat masts sold since then have printed labels warning of the danger.
I've also seen a sailboat towed into wires, sending lots of sparks around.
Especially on a weekend outing, it's too easy to do. :(
My last [beach] catamaran had a 30' mast.
How sad. Those poor boys......those poor families. Prayers up.
Where was the Scout Master?
I spend a whole lot of time on the water and have never seen power lines that low.
If it were power lines over water so low it struck a mast where boats are allowed, some entity is likely going to pay big league $$$.
Your link says they were in the Lake Marina.
How terribly sad.
Prayers up for these boys, their families and friends.
Sad Texas ping.
It may not have been power company lines, but rather some idiot running power lines to a boat or dock.
Nope, if the story is accurate, the one responsible is the entity/individual who owns the power line that struck the mast. I don’t quite get how that could happen, because heat/sag/stretching are all engineered into power lines so they would know how high and the right tension to run the lines.
I’d bet there is a bit more to this story.
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