Re: WHO'S LIABLE IF I DO GET HIT?

KingOfTheApes wrote

> Well, there are islands on the water and the batteries are left behind
> on the islands.

I suppose it's happened, but it darned sure doesn't happen often.  Boats
big 
enough to carry batteries, don't work without them.  They have to have
them 
to start the motors.  It's really unlikely that anybody would go to all
the 
trouble to drive their boat out to an island with a spare battery on
board, 
change the battery while on the island and go to all the touble to take
the 
battery off the boat just so they can leave it someplace where it will
later 
have to be collected by another power boater.  It could happne, but I
don't 
know why.

It's much more likely that any batteries you round were taken to the
island 
for use by somebody camping there.  They may or may not have gotten to the

island by power boat, but the batteries you see almost certainly weren't 
lift there because they are power boaters.

> Well, maybe they heard of the coral reefs in the tropical waters of
> the Caribbean dying because of all the pollution and motorboats that
> anchor in the wrong places.

In more than 45 years of diving, and boating in the Caribbean, no, I've 
never heard of it.  I have heard of them dying because of fertilizer, 
sewerage and other chemicals washed our from those on land who have less 
consideration than either you or I do.  I have heard of reefs destroyed by

sewage outfalls operated by Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. 
I 
have heard of reefs destroyed by "accidental" leaks of millions of gallons

of raw sewage from Miami Dade about twice a year.  I have heard of reefs 
destroyed by those that dispose of thousands of tires as "artificial
reefs" 
that nothing ever lives on.

Here's a clue.  Gas floats.  Reefs don't.  Anchors don't do much damage
and 
their use is not limited to motor boats.  Sailboats and even kayaks carry 
them too.

Lee