‘You gotta watch out for them.’ More details on deadly boat crash near Miami’s port

A preliminary report into a deadly crash near PortMiami involving the Fisher Island Ferry and a 32-foot boat said an investigation could lead to arrests and that the Miami-Dade state attorney has been contacted.

The report also said no passengers were on the ferry and did not determine if alcohol was involved.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report revealed few details into how the 32-foot Scorpion High Performance center console boat hit the 146-foot Fisher Island Club Ferry at around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. The crash was in the North Channel of the 900-feet wide shipping lane that connects Biscayne Bay to the Atlantic Ocean at Govenment Cut.

The U.S. Coast Guard is also investigating the incident, which killed one of the two people on the private boat. The crash claimed the life of 27-year-old Cristian Gaston Fernandez of Cutler Bay, confirmed agency spokesman Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric Rodriguez. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue divers found his body after a search that involved several agencies.

The boat’s other occupant, Angel Dominguez, 29, was taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Medical Center in Miami, where he was listed in serious condition.

The ferry had three crew members, and no one was injured, according to the Fish and Wildlife report released Monday. The crew stayed at the boat crash scene and helped rescue Dominguez, the agency said in a statement.

Officials from Fisher Island Club did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Coast Guard declined to release any further details into the crash, including how fast the center console was traveling when it hit the ferry and who was driving the boat. The report states that it’s so far unclear if alcohol was a factor in the crash. The report states that arrests are pending.

The crash and cleanup delayed travel plans for tens of thousands of people for nearly a day, including more than 15,000 passengers at sea on three cruise ships that had planned to dock at PortMiami around 8 a.m. Sunday. They were left idling off the coast while crews worked on clearing the obstructed channel of the sunken boat.

The U.S. Coast Guard closed the port following the crash and announced the reopening just after 2:30 p.m. after “crews have successfully recovered the sunken vessel & removed the obstruction in the North channel.”

Challenges navigating Government Cut

Nel Martinez, 57, has been a Miami Beach charter fishing boat captain for more than 20 years and has decades experience navigating Government Cut. He said there’s not a lot of boat traffic where the collision took place late at night or in the early morning hours.

But during the day, it’s busy, especially with the ferries, according to Martinez.

“There’s a lot of ferries going through all the time. It’s kind of a pain in the a--. I go through there all the time. It’s pretty much non-stop, in and out, in and out. You gotta watch out for them. When they come out, they come out,” Martinez said.

According to Fisher Island Club’s website, the ferry runs 24 hours a day and departs from Terminal Island Road off the MacArthur Causeway. On weekends, from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m., the ferry runs on the hour and every 15 minutes throughout the hour.

Given the set schedule, ferry captains seem determined to get from point A to B on time, Martinez said.

“It’s something you have to be careful with, because they can’t stop on a dime,” he said. “If they don’t leave the dock at a certain time, the other ferries have to wait.”

City lights and speed

Peter Dominguez, 32, a tow boat captain with Sea Tow Biscayne Bay for six years, said another challenge to navigating Government Cut are the city lights of Miami Beach and Miami that boaters face when heading inbound.

“They’re behind whatever you’re looking at. They’re not behind you. You’re looking at everything, and the boats between you and the city lights get all blurred in together sometimes,” Dominguez said.

Even with the ubiquity of global positioning satellite, or GPS, equipment installed on most vessels, Dominguez said it’s still important for boaters to know the local waters and learn how to read charts. This will help people avoid most navigational hazards when visibility is an issue.

Another best practice to lower the chances you’ll get into an accident, day or night, is to simply slow down, he said.

“A lot of times, speed is a factor, and if you eliminate that, it reduces the risks,” Dominguez said.

Finally, many boaters, especially those who own expensive vessels, like to adorn them with outside lights. This is a mistake, Dominguez said, and reduces the ability to see what’s around you on the water at night.

“Inside lights are not your friend. They look cool, but they don’t help you see outside the boat or ahead of you,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of accidents where everyone wants the boat to look cool, so they light it up like a Christmas tree. Every one of those lights, all they do is impair your outward vision when you’re navigating at night.”

Miami Herald staff writers David Neal and Douglas Hanks contributed to this report.