I fish that area all the time - it's barely half a mile from where I have my boat docked (Rob in Rockaway as well, hope he's doing well, but I know for sure his isn't a 14' boat :)
I was there a few hours before the incident, making sure that my boat was tied up securely because it had been awhile since I had a look. The wind was ridiculous - people tend to overlook that in the bay, figuring they're protected from the ocean on the other side of the Rockaway peninsula, but when you hit 30-40 knots, doesn't matter how protected you are. The waters over there are also tricky - these guys likely overturned only a few feet from shore, but because there are little islands, sand bars and obstructions, the currents can get wacky when the weather picks up.
RIP to them, but they paid a price out of sheer stupidity IMO.
WTF were they doing?
I was there a few hours before the incident, making sure that my boat was tied up securely because it had been awhile since I had a look. The wind was ridiculous - people tend to overlook that in the bay, figuring they're protected from the ocean on the other side of the Rockaway peninsula, but when you hit 30-40 knots, doesn't matter how protected you are. The waters over there are also tricky - these guys likely overturned only a few feet from shore, but because there are little islands, sand bars and obstructions, the currents can get wacky when the weather picks up.
RIP to them, but they paid a price out of sheer stupidity IMO.