Unfortunately, with the excitement of the July Fourth holiday came tragedy as three people died after the boat they were on, capsized.  They were out Long Island Sound supposedly watching a fireworks display.  Normally that would be the end of a very tragic story.  However, it’s important to point out something regarding boat safety.  The three victims who tragically lost their lives were three of twenty-seven on board a thirty-four foot vessel.  A witness said the boat appeared to hit a wake and tip over.  Of course it tipped over.  A thirty-four foot boat is not large and certainly not large enough to accommodate twenty-seven people.  The captain of the boat created a dangerous situation and should be held accountable.  Motor boatmen are often not as experienced or knowledgeable as sail boatmen for obvious reasons.  One, because, driving a powerboat is like driving a car; turn on the engines, drop the docklines and off you go. Two, because powerboats go quickly they don’t often get stuck in bad weather.  Sail boatmen must be prepared for anything.  But it doesn’t require a Captain, just a little common sense to know there were too many people on board the boat.  The weight of the passengers could have easily equaled 25%-30% of the displacement making it highly unsteady.  So before anyone believes the nonsense about a wake, understand the boat was overloaded and there is fault here with the Captain who created the danger.  Boats are great fun, but people who operate them need to understand the ramifications of their actions.  This Captain obviously didn’t and needs to face the consequences above and beyond the blood on his hands of three innocent victims.