1 dead, 2 hurt when powerboats crash during offshore race

[Serious News]

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say a crash during a powerboat race at the Jersey shore has left one person dead and two others hurt.

News12 New Jersey reports that the accident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday during a small boat preliminary event in the Point Pleasant Beach Grand Prix. The two boats collided in waters near Bay Head.

The remaining races in the event were canceled after the fatal crash occurred.

Further details about the crash were not immediately available. The names of the person killed and those injured have not been disclosed.

http://www.dailyprogress.com/dead-hurt-when-powerboats-crash-during-offshore-race/article_7b4700cf-3652-53b9-9c3c-80c6e57f6ed5.html

[phragle]

sad day. Thoughts and prayers.

[Serious News]

Crews locate boat that sank in fatal Offshore Grand Prix race crash
By MaryAnn Spoto ,

BAY HEAD -- Two days after a deadly race boat crash in the Atlantic Ocean, search crews have located the boat that sank and are planning to raise it as part of the ongoing investigation.

Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Stephen Reid said the search crews found the 26-foot Smith Brothers CRC on Tuesday morning. Reid said the boat is badly damaged and that crews were looking to float it to the surface.

On the first turn of the Point Pleasant Beach Offshore Grand Prix on Sunday, the Repeat Offender crossed into the path of the Smith Brothers CRC for an unknown reason, causing the Smith Brothers CRC to run over the top of the Repeat Offender, authorities have said.

The throttle man for the Repeat Offender, David Raabe, 38, of Forked River, was killed. The driver, James "JP" Byrne, 35, of Nutley, was seriously injured.

The investigation continues into the cause of the accident, authorities said

Toni Potthoff, president of the New Jersey Offshore Racing Association, said she was informed Tuesday morning that the Smith Brothers CRC boat had been located and that crews were continuing the search for other pieces.

A New Jersey State Police boat was in the ocean off Bay Head on Tuesday using what appeared to be side-scan sonar during the search.

http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2017/05/crews_locate_boat_that_sank_in_deadly_race_boat_co.html

[Ratickle]

Search resumes for boat that sank in fatal Offshore Grand Prix race crash
By MaryAnn Spoto mspoto@njadvancemedia.com,

BAY HEAD -- Dive crews on Friday resumed their search*for a race boat that sank in the ocean during a deadly collision at the*Point Pleasant Beach Offshore Grand Prix.

Divers from the Berkeley Township Underwater Search and Rescue Team got back into the ocean off Johnson Street in Bay Head around 11 a.m. to try to locate the Smith Brothers CRC, the 26-foot race boat that sank in a collision with the Repeat Offender on Sunday.

The search, which had been ongoing for two days, was suspended Thursday because of bad weather.

Although the weather cleared late Friday morning, conditions were still difficult for the divers, who were in 35 feet of water, a dive team official said.

The divers have only about 3 or 4 inches of visibility, requiring them to search more by feel than by sight, the official said.

On site for the search were a Berkeley dive team boat and a boat from Offshore Racing Association, which produces the grand prix. A New Jersey State Police team was expected to join the search as it had for the two previous days.

The Smith Brothers CRC sank Sunday afternoon after it ran over the Repeat Offender, which cut in front of it for an unknown reason, authorities have said.

The throttle man aboard the Repeat Offender, David Raabe, 38, of Forked River, was killed.* The driver, James "JP" Byrne, 35, of Nutley, was seriously injured but is expected to recover.

The funeral for Raabe, married and a father of three, was held Friday following a viewing on Thursday.

The occupants of the Smith Brothers CRC, brothers Rich and Pete Smith, were thrown from their boat but were rescued and refused medical attention. The transom was ripped off their boat in the collision, Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Stephen Reid has said.

The race took boats in a loop in the ocean from Martell's Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant Beach south to Bridge Avenue in Bay Head.

http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2017/05/search_resumes_for_boat_that_sank_in_fatal_offshor.html

[Serious News]

Recovery of boat that sank in deadly Offshore Grand Prix brings a wave of emotions to owner

By MaryAnn Spoto

POINT PLEASANT BEACH -- Standing on the dock watching his crippled boat get hoisted out of the water, a wave of mixed emotions washed over Rich Smith.
There was the rush of sadness that comes with knowing his race boat was involved in a deadly collision*that killed one person and seriously injured another nine days earlier.
But then there also was the wave of relief knowing that the boat - after sitting submerged in more than 30 feet of water in the ocean off Bay Head - wouldn't pose further risk to anyone.
"It felt pretty good (at) the point that they found it because that's the big thing," Smith said. "Last I saw it, it was going down."
Smith, 53, and his brother Pete Smith, 50, were aboard their 26-foot racing boat Smith Brothers CRC in the Point Pleasant Offshore Grand Prix*on May 21 when another boat, the Repeat Offender, cut in front of them during the first turn in the race.
The Smith Brothers CRC drove overtop the Repeat Offender, killing the throttle man, David Raabe, 38, of Forked River, and seriously injuring the driver, James "JP" Byrne, 35, of Nutley.

Bad weather and poor visibility had made the search difficult for dive crews
The Smith brothers were thrown into the ocean and their boat sank after the transom was ripped off in the collision.
In the nine days since the collision, divers from Point Pleasant Beach and the Berkeley Township Underwater Search and Rescue Team volunteered their time - as the weather would allow - to locate the boat. Surf conditions were harsh and visibility was poor, creating a challenge for the divers.

Smith, who grew up in New Jersey but now lives in Souderton, PA, was with the search boats on Sunday and Tuesday.
He said divers located the boat on Sunday but couldn't arrange for it to be raised right away because it was flipped over. They righted it that same day but didn't have enough daylight hours to try to float it to the surface.
With weather conditions again expected to be poor on Monday, crews took the day off to observe Memorial Day.
Tuesday, the were right back at it and were able to attach airbags to the boat, float it to just below the surface and tow it north through the ocean, into the Manasquan Inlet and dock in Point Pleasant Beach.
As word spread through the race boat community, crowds lined the Point Pleasant Beach side of the inlet to watch what only appeared to be large airbags being towed by a boat.
The crowds then gathered less than 100 yards away at Ken's Landing as crews pumped water out of the boat and it rose to the surface, the first time Smith had seen it since the crash.
"I don't know how I feel yet. I'm glad it's back and I'm glad nobody got hurt getting it back," Smith said. "There's sorrow involved in the whole ordeal. It was a terrible tragedy, a racing accident. Sorrow is what you feel about the whole thing."

The boat was slipped into slings attached to a massive crane that hoisted the Smith Brothers CRC out of the water and onto a trailer waiting in the parking lot.
Some members of the race boat community clapped. Others patted each other on the back. Dive team members gave each other high-fives.
Smith said he's so grateful for the outpouring of support and assistance in the search and recovery of a boat. But he's not sure if racing will remain in his future.
He expects it will take the rest of this year to repair the boat, but even after it's fixed, he's not sure he will race again.
"We wanted it out of the ocean because we didn't want anyone to get hurt. It looks a little rough. We'll probably be able to fix it. We'll get it back together," he said. "What we do after that, I'm not quite sure. I'm not sure what our future holds."
The New Jersey State Police took possession of the boat for now to continue the investigation. The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office has said it does not expect to file criminal charges.
Smith said he doesn't want to talk about the crash but added, ""It happened very quickly. There was nothing we could do. Absolutely nothing."
He and his brother suffered some bumps and bruises in the crash - his brother got a little more banged up than he did.

"We'll heal," he said. "Anything that we have will heal."
But then there's also the emotional healing.
"I've raced all my life and I know there's a certain amount of risk that you accept and when you put a helmet on - whether it's car racing or a boat or whatever you're doing," he said. "We've got to get over this hump and get feeling a little better about that."

http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2017/05/recovery_of_boat_that_sank_in_offshore_grand_prix.html

[Serious News]

OPA

David had a love for the Jersey Shore which led to his becoming an avid boater. He enjoyed pleasure boating with his family and friends. He always had the "NEED FOR SPEED" which led to his offshore boat racing. David claimed checkered flags in his racing career and also saw the back of many a tow boat.

David traveled with his family to many exotic locations including the U.A.E. (Dubai and Abu Dhabi), South Africa, several European countries, Hawaii, Mexico and some Caribbean Islands.David R. Raabe, Sr. passed away Sunday, May 21, 2017. He was born in Plainfield, NJ and has called Forked River his home for the past 10 years. David loved life, his family and friends especially his wife, Leigh, the love of his life and his three children, Alexis, David, Jr. and Landon.

David excelled at everything he did. His competitive nature and drive for success led him to reach many milestones years ahead of his peers. David worked in the financial world for 20 years. He was a financial advisor for AXA Equitable for the past 9 years. He also was a partner in Envision Strategics, LLC. He was a top producer for the company and won numerous awards.

He is predeceased by his paternal grandparents Eugene and Virginia Raabe and Grandma Sheenan. Surviving are his loving wife, Leigh of 15 years; his daughter, Alexis; 2 sons David, Jr. and Landon; parents, David and Patricia Raabe and Debra and Robert McNamara; three brothers, Michael Raabe, Shea McNamara and Erik Raabe; his maternal grandparents, Robert and Georgette Schulz along with many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Friends may call from 2-4 & 7-9 Thursday at Layton's Home For Funerals, (609) 971-6800, 250 W. Lacey Road, Forked River, Lacey. Relatives and friends of the family are respectfully invited to attend the funeral on Friday, May 26, 2017 at the Church of Saint Pius X, Forked River, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow at Saint Mary's Parish Cemetery, Stafford Township.

For more information and to leave condolences to the family please visit http://www.laytons.net/notices/David-RaabeSr


RACE IN PEACE