Looking at the severed Perception Tribe kayak, the first thought that comes to mind is Phillip and Anthony Hill are lucky to be alive. The father and son were paddling for just 10 minutes on a bay in the southern Puget Sound when a speeding motorboat appeared to be heading right for them.
Motorboat runs over father and son’s kayak
According to an interview with King 5 Seattle, The Hills were paddling near Steamboat Island with a plan to land at Hope Island Marine State Park when they noticed the motorboat on their path. They waved their bright yellow paddles and screamed at the boat operator. It was to no use. Realizing the boat was not changing course, Anthony and Phillip dove into the water and under their kayak to avoid being run over.
“As he [the boat driver] went over the top of it, it just pushed it into my back,” Phillip Hill told King 5, recalling the moment the motorboat ran over their kayak.
“I hit the water and went, ‘there’s no way that just happened,'” Anthony Hill said to King 5.
“I turned around, and I was screaming. I was yelling for him five or six times before he surfaced,” Anthony added of the moments he was unsure of his dad’s whereabouts or condition. “Those were the longest couple of seconds of my life.”
Inches from tragedy
The motorboat nearly severed the Hill family’s boat completely. In the news report, you can also see where the propeller punched additional holes in the Tribe kayak. One of the lifejackets also showed a long-running tear in the back. Fortunately, neither the father nor son suffered physical injuries, though they shared that they are still shaken from the event.
The driver of the motorboat did not stop to assist the Hills, but other recreationists present in the well-trafficked area did. The bystanders were also able to provide an eyewitness account and a description of the boat. According to additional news reports, the driver has since been arrested and will be arraigned in early September.
Lessons from a near miss
In a separate news report, the Hills mention they have ten years of paddling experience. From the accounts, the father and son did everything right. They waved their bright paddles and made audible attempts. It is difficult to say if there is anything else they could have done to avoid the actions of the boat driver.
For paddlers traveling among motorboats, having a noise-producing device at hand that can pierce the next decibel level is always a sound practice. Also, carry and monitor a VHF radio, have bright equipment, and display proper lighting at night.
One of the other realities to understand is the minimized visibility of different types of motorboats and light conditions. Minimizing time spent within and crossing boat channels also helps mitigate these situations.
Above all, the Hill family’s story with a fortunate ending is a reminder to never assume boat traffic can spot you as a paddler and to take a similar approach to what many learned back in driving class: always paddle defensively.
Feature Image: King 5 Seattle | YouTube
Update: September 5, 2024, According to King 5 Seattle, on September 3, the motorboat driver, David J. Seymour, pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless boating.
Zero talk about who and why. Hope that boat driver gets locked up for attempted murder with a deadly weapon.
As a paddler and sailor, I have had similar encounters. Almost always it is power boaters, though once it was a jet ski. Sometimes you can chalk it up to an inexperienced boater, sometimes it involves alcohol. One time, in a fact calm, my wife and I were furling sails with the engine idling, in mid sound. About a 40 foot Grand Banks cruiser was on a plane, heading down the sound. He was heading toward us. I kept thinking he would see us( a 33 foot sailboat) and change course. Finally, I could see him coming forward along the side deck to the pilothouse. He had apparently been in the head, or getting a bite to eat, I don’t know, and had the helm on autopilot. But autopilot does detect other boats. It is just lashing down the helm to go a certain direction. I have known of similar situations which resulted in injuries.