I’ve been hearing reports of a boating accident last night around 11-Midnight.
First reports are of casualties involving a pleasure boat The Black Pearl out of Bayport that ran aground.
A fisherman was near by an heard the crash then helped get rescue workers to the site close to the Kinnikinick.
I can’t find a news report to confirm this.
I forgot to add my point…
Watch out for the other guy.
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I’ve been hearing reports of a boating accident last night around 11-Midnight.
First reports are of casualties involving a pleasure boat The Black Pearl out of Bayport that ran aground.
A fisherman was near by an heard the crash then helped get rescue workers to the site close to the Kinnikinick.
I can’t find a news report to confirm this.
Around 11-midnight – cold night to be doing nothing on the river on a Wednesday. But I suppose it was peaceful until then. I hope everyone is or will be ok. I will have to do some search to find some more news about this. If I hear of any will post.
no chatter in Hudson about it yet. i’m sure non alcohol related 
i’m pretty sure I know exactly where that is at. how do you get sideways there? no wake zone? hmmm. “alcohol was found in the boat” big surprise.
they sound like they were of an age that oughta know better.
Prayers to the family members.
FDR
OUCH.
Dave Riley is the yard foreman at Windmill Marina.
I hope it’s not the same Dave!
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OUCH.
Dave Riley is the yard foreman at Windmill Marina.
I hope it’s not the same Dave!
Two guys in the same town with the same first and last name. NOT GOOD and NOT GOOD on the entire thing. Prayers and thoughts for the victims and families
Be careful out there! Never good to hear stories of these accidents that could have easily been prevented.
Report from the Strib with a little more detail.
Boat hits rocks on St. Croix River, killing one and injuring two others
Article by: PAUL WALSH , Star Tribune Updated: June 6, 2013 – 2:21 PM
A cabin cruiser hit rocks on the Wisconsin side of the St. Croix River late at night, killing a Twin Cities man and injuring two other men, authorities said Thursday.
The northbound boat crashed about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday into a rock face north of the Kinnickinnic State Park beach, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. As of midafternoon Thursday, the boat had yet to be removed from the river.
Dead at the scene was passenger David J. Riley, 40, of Afton, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Injured were the boat’s owner and operator, Patrick A. Puhalla, 46, of Bayport, and passenger Daniel M. Schultz, 55, of Hudson, Wis., the Sheriff’s Office added.
Puhalla was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, while Schultz was treated for his injuries and did not require hospitalization, said Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jason Matthys.
Authorities have yet to say what led to the boat hitting the rocks.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
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OUCH.
Dave Riley is the yard foreman at Windmill Marina.
I hope it’s not the same Dave!
my sources tell the Dave Riley in question worked at the windmill and was the nephew of Joe Riley if that helps.
I wonder if it is the same guys I saw last Saturday putting their boat in at Windmill.
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I wonder if it is the same guys I saw last Saturday putting their boat in at Windmill.
I doubt it. They had pictures of the boat on the news tonight. They said it was a 40 ft cruiser. Don’t think they will be trailering it. The guy they interviewed from Windmill (owner or manager) said they have been heading down river on Wed nights for years. They also said one of the survivers indicated their radar (?) was acting up. What a bummer. 
Prayers sent for the families.
I don’t think they were trailering it as much as they were taking it out of dry dock. In any event I saw pictures and no. I guess the only reason it crossed my mind was that it was windmill and there were 3 guys, 1 who looked like he worked the dock.
Very sad, Dave Riley was a great guy and will be greatly missed by everyone that knew him, he will be missed very much at Windmills. This is going to be a hard summer at the marina for everyone. Please be respectfull of the Riley family, as the investigation is on going. prayers sent.
I have launched there 3 times this season which is more than I have ever launched there in all years past combined. Such a nice facility. I dont know who Dave was but I’m sure I must have seen him.
Update on the story:
Edited for better link:
Bayport man faces homicide charges in fatal St. Croix River boat crash
By Andy Rathbun
[email protected]: 10/31/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT | Updated: about 10 hours ago
Homicide charges have been filed against the man who allegedly drove a boat that crashed into the St. Croix River shoreline in June, killing a passenger.
Patrick A. Puhalla, 47, of Bayport was allegedly operating a boat the night of June 5 when it crashed north of the Kinnickinnic State Park beach on the Wisconsin side of the river, killing 40-year-old David J. Riley, who lived in New Richmond, Wis., but worked as harbormaster at Windmill Marina in Afton.
Puhalla was charged Thursday in Pierce County Circuit Court with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, homicide by use of a vehicle with prohibited alcohol content, homicide by negligent use of a vehicle, causing injury by intoxicated boat operation and causing injury by boat operation with prohibited alcohol content.
David J. Riley, 40, of New Richmond, Wis., was killed in a boat crash on the St. Croix River on Wednesday, June 5. (Courtesy photo) Puhalla could not be reached Thursday. The Pierce County district attorney’s office said it had yet to learn who will represent him in the case.
Puhalla was injured in the crash. When speaking with investigators at his room in Regions Hospital in St. Paul a week after the incident, he said the night was darker than he had ever seen it. He told investigators he was not actually operating the boat and electronics were supposed to be doing that, according to the criminal complaint.
Puhalla, who said there had been ongoing issues with the electronics, estimated the 40-foot Formula 400 boat was traveling about 30 to 35 mph when it crashed. He told investigators they couldn’t see anything beyond the front of the boat, and by the time they saw trees, it was too late to avoid crashing, according to the criminal complaint.
Testing of Puhalla’s blood following the crash showed his blood-alcohol level was 0.114, the complaint states. The limit for operating a boat in Wisconsin is 0.08, the same as for motor vehicles.
Puhalla, Riley and another passenger in the boat, Daniel M. Schulte, were taking part in a weekly boat trip from Windmill Marina to a bar in Prescott, Wis., the night of the crash, Schulte told investigators in October. Schulte said all three were drinking one or two beers on the way to the bar and had beer, an alcoholic energy drink and food once there, according to the criminal complaint.
Schulte said Puhalla, who was driving the boat, didn’t appear to be intoxicated, the complaint states.
Schulte said that during the trip back, he told Puhalla at one point to move farther from the shore, but Puhalla responded that they were where they should be, the complaint states.
Schulte later noticed that the boat was not making a turn where he believed it should, and then realized he could not see lights on the Wisconsin bluffs that they usually use for navigation, he told investigators. Schulte said he asked where the lights were, but did not get a response from Puhalla, who was looking down at electronics displays, according to the complaint.
Schulte then saw a rock cliff directly overhead and yelled, “Turn, turn, turn,” but Puhalla did not react, and the crash occurred, the complaint states. Schulte said he was thrown down into a small cabin and knocked unconscious.
Riley was pronounced dead at the scene.
An initial appearance in Puhalla’s case is scheduled for Nov. 25.
Ugh.
Ugh is right.
Drinking or not, the spooky part of the story is there are actually people out there that navigate solely by auto pilot electronics. In my opinion, was just a matter of time before he killed someone. Lucky is was not you anchored up fishing, BK.
-J.
I cant say I am surprised. I always thought it boiled down to alcohol and negligence.
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Lucky is was not you anchored up fishing, BK.
There is so many things wrong with this…
I guess I never thought of auto pilot without someone watching in these large vessels.
This could explain why far too many times a large craft has come (imo) dangerously close to clipping me while anchored sturgeon fishing. (so far 14′ was the closest…or two rod lengths)
Is just a spot light going to catch an auto pilots attention?? As they get closer, will their radar lose track of me??
I’m now rethinking the way I watch for and actions to take while anchored when a boat is heading my way.
What a sad deal.
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Lucky is was not you anchored up fishing, BK.
I agree, anchoring should be banned for the safety and well being of fellow fisherman ….. hey, I can dream……. 
Auto pilot should be banned except perhaps in the open ocean or at no wake speeds at a maximum.
Sad outcome, but poor judgement on the captains part on so many items.
ET 
Not a big surprise. Was wondering when charges would be filed
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