Subject left cypress cove marina around 7 a.m. and proceeded to leave out of the jump in venice and enter into the mississippi river in his vessel (mi 1387 bp). Due to the fog being thick, this caused the subject to lose his bearing and believe that he was running his vessel down river to fish offshore.  In reality, he was running his vessel up river.  After heading up river for several miles, the subject ran over a cable in the river that was anchoring a barge.  The subject turned his vessel towards the shore to avoid a collision with the barge.  The vessel ran aground on the rocks but did not cause any injuries to the captain or the three passengers.     
Upon completion of the investigation, it was determined that the operator could have prevented the incident in several ways.  He could have shown better judgement and delayed or cancelled the trip until the fog ceased. He was not familiar with the equipment on board his vessel. The compass and plotter should have been followed and the radar should have been adjusted coorectly to prevent a  big "blob" on the screen. The  operator should have slowed down and idled around the obstruction instead of through the obstruction. The operator did not abide by the rules of the road in boating. He violated number 16 which states that all vessels shall be operated at reasonable speeds for giving conditions and situations and must be under the complete control of the operator at all times. Therefore, a citation for careless operation will be issued. Charges are still pending.

VENICE                        