Barton & Gray recklessness

Hello Mr. Fulweiler,

Your Boating Barrister columns in Windcheck magazine are a reality check and welcome source of common sense as it applies to boating and the law.

The attached PDF is my write up of an incident that occurred September 6, 2023. The story will speak for itself. But, the reason I’m reaching out to you is to get a reality check as to the practicality of pursuing the matter of repeated recklessness against Barton & Gray.

On the day it happened, just minutes after the original incident occurred, I called Darien Police from my boat to report it. Within a week, I met with a Darien, CT police officer to discuss the first draft of the incident report.

The well-meaning officer said that Darien’s maritime police officer position was budgeted from Memorial Day through Labor Day and there was no one on staff that could or would be able to pursue this case. She did however, offer to contact Barton & Gray on my behalf.

For its part, someone at Barton & Gray handled the police officer with their signature brazen charm. And that was that.

In the months since the incident occurred I have mulled over what I should do next. On one hand, I am bothered by the hair-raising memory of that near-collision every day.

On the other hand, when I mention it to boater friends, response is invariably a yawn and a shrug. Their gist is, get over it.

A week or so ago I was heading in after taking video of Norwalk YC’s Wednesday Night Series racing. It was getting dark as a large Hinckley Talaria approached my boat at full speed. I turned on my t-top flood lights to be more visible and the Talaria passed close-aboard throwing a vicious wake.

The Talaria continued on to barge through the finish area where a few boats were still trying to get over the line in the dying air. The Talaria flew a Barton & Gray burgee. I couldn’t make out the name on its transom because of the beach towel draped over it. But, it looked exactly like the Talaria that missed hitting me by three feet late last summer.

I’m not over last summer's incident. And it seems that Barton & Gray’s recklessness isn’t over either.

I’d appreciate a reality check and your common sense as to how to handle this matter going forward.

Many thanks,

QL