On the Rocks

Boat Makes Unexpected "Transition" from Water to Land

Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian

A boater hit the bank of the Willamette River in Oregon on his 48 foot powerboat last week while going about 30 mph, launching the vessel (named Transition) 50 feet and landing it upright on the rocky shore. Amazingly, nobody was hurt. The boat will cost a bundle to salvage, but the pictures Benjamin Brink took for the Oregonian are priceless.

Oregonian columnist Rick Bella reported that witnesses were surprised, not because a boat hit the embankment there – that happens all the time. They were surprised that THIS boater did, as he was apparently more familiar with the water and dangerous rocks than the many, many other boaters who have hit those rocks in the past. They were also impressed with his distance - none of the boats that crashed here previously had achieved this much air.

By the way, if you are a boater in Oregon, make sure you take a boating safety course that is approved by the Oregon State Marine Board such as the one offered by BoaterExam.com.

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