Submitted on 10/14/2005

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: LI Traveler Watchman 10/13/05

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James said:
Neutral: Honorable Mention
Here's the link :http://www.travelerwatchman.com/. Rowing the half-mile or so from Queens to the Bronx on the far western end of Long Island Sound is very risky in this (or any) weather; rowing the 13 miles from the North Fork to Connecticut (100 miles distant on the east end of the Island) in an inflatable dinghy with NO boating experience on treacherous waters is just plain stupid. While boating accidents are common, this fellow has that extra ounce of stupidity which I feel deserves mention.

Sheryl said:
Maybe Toss: Honorable Mention
Oddly enough, I got more information from James' comments than I did from the original story. Try to remember that Americans are NOT the only ones reading or moderating these stories. I'm neutral on this one but I'd really like a better write up.

Greg said:
Neutral: Honorable Mention
Thanks for the detail James. That's a ferry route, practically in open sea! At first I thought he was unlucky with the equipment failure. But to put this in perspective, we won't take the 12' Boston Whaler we use beyond the headlands in the Mediterranean unless the weather is PERFECT because of the swell, so trying to take a rubber dinghy across a bay open to the North Atlantic on a rough day is REALLY dumb, experience or no experience!! This story is remarkable alone because he made it.

Jack said:
Neutral: Honorable Mention
I have to agree with all three of my fellow moderators: The story as given us was sadly lacking in details. An "inflatable dinghy" could mean anything from something that I wouldn't trust in a wading pool to a Zodiac with twin outboards (as used by the commandos of many nations), and since I live in Texas, I'm not familiar with the waterways of that part of the world. Thanks for the additional information, James! I'll vote for an HM.

Tracy said:
Neutral: Honorable Mention
Had to rely on my fellow moderators to fill in the gaps on this one! May be a HM

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