Allowing for perspective in both
pictures, the situation portrayed in the
second picture worries me more.
However, both illustrate the constant
worry that a spectator could be hit by a
boat during a NAMBA sponsored event.
The big advantage model boating has
is that the boats are contained in the
pond and usually can’t travel very far
from the shore. I do remember several
notable exceptions, one where the boat
cleared a six foot bank and was retrieved
from a tree another five or six feet above
the ground. Incidents like this always
stick in our minds but are relatively rare.
I believe that at least one boat hit the
shore in every NAMBA Nationals I’ve
attended. None got more than a few feet
beyond the edge of the pond. I’m only
aware of two incidents where a person
not in the water was hit by a boat. Both
were serious, though. The best protection
in both of the situations pictured above is
distance from the pond’s shore. While
heavy duty sports netting or a chain link
fence could actually stop a boat, I think
that cones or simple caution tape that
reminds spectators to stay back from the
pond edge is all that’s needed. In
addition, all of us need to be our own
safety officers. We need to be sure our
equipment is in good working order as
well as watching what is going on
beyond our own pit area. Don’t expect
the CD to be the only person responsible
for spectator safety.
Hitting a person in the water has been
fatal and usually results in serious injury.
Don’t operate your boat while
swimmers, pets, or full size boats are in
the water. NAMBA has paid vet bills
when a dog was hit. I’ve seen several
cases where a model penetrated a
retrieve boat that was on the shore.
Several years ago a raft was sunk after
being hit by a model boat and the boater
in it drowned. NAMBA’s insurance may
not cover you for this serious violation
of our safety rules.
On this note, what are the most
common safety issues I’ve observed?
Falling out of the retrieve boat is the
most common incident that has a
potentially fatal result. I’ve seen that
happen at least four times, once by a non
swimmer who was not wearing a life
jacket.
Continued on page 20
PROPWASH
October 2013
19
Safety Corner Summer
By Lohring Miller
NAMBA Safety Chairman
Recently a lot was made of a video taken at a straight line time trials event. It
shows a spectator on the shore as a boat is going by at 130 mph. Below is a screen
capture.
Although elevated on a dock, spectators need to be away from the water’s edge
A still capture from a video of a boat traveling 130 mph