Hi Brian,
Interesting that you should post that. We just got back from examining a steel cutter that was hit head-on by a 40ft power boat, at speed. And yes, some alcohol was involved. The front of the cutter was torn off/compressed/foded for about 6ft. and we could see ripples on deck almost to amidships. The power boat has a couple of very large holes in it.
It was an interesting job, forensically, as it wasn't clear what the angle of impact was. But an examination of the chainplates and rig tune indicated that impact was slightly to port of the stem. This was later confirmed by witnesses at the scene.
No fatalities or serious injuries, though I understand that most of the people aboard both boats went to the emergency room.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss
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