RedactedNarrative: On April 20 2018, I received a call that there had been a boating incident on Lake Chatuge in Clay County NC.  I was given a telephone number to one of the individuals who had been involved in the incident.  I immediately contacted Operator1 to inquire of the incident.  Operator1 stated that he and one of his friends were fishing on Lake Chatuge and was struck by another boat.  He stated that no one was injured but his boat was rendered inoperable.  He also stated that the individual operating the boat that struck them was there and was rendering aid to them.  He stated that they were near Lake Chatuge Dam so I instructed them to move to a boating access area closest to their area.  I then advised I was on the way and I'd meet them at the access area.
  
  Upon arriving at Lake Chatuge Dam, I could see the two boats tied to shore.  One boat was a 2003 Ranger Bass boat. The other was a 2006 Triton Bass boat.  Upon closer inspection, I could see that the back starboard side and motor of the Ranger boat had been struck.  Looking at the Triton boat, I could see damage to the front and starboard side of its bow. 
  
  Talking with each individual involved, the same scenario played out.  Operator1 and V1 occupant had launched their boat from a boat access in the state of Georgia (approximately 3.1 miles away) a few hours earlier and was fishing on a long running point near Lake Chatuge Dam.  Operator2 had just launched his boat from the Jack Rabbit boat access in North Carolina (approximately 1.1 miles away) and was motoring around the long running point toward the state of Georgia.  Operator1's boat was approximately 25-30 yards off shore and facing outward into the lake and was only under power by the trolling motor.  
  
  Operator2 was motoring along the left shoreline approximately 25-30 yards off shore towards the point and into the rising sun which created a bright glare on the surface of the water.  Operator1 and V1 occupant saw the boat heading towards them and began to wave their arms in the air to alert Operator2 that they were there.  Operator2's boat was on plane at this time.  Just before impact Operator2 saw one of the individuals waving their arms and immediately turned the boat to the left and towards the shore line.  Operator2's boat then struck Operator1's on the starboard rear corner.  This launched Operator2's boat up and over the other, Operator1's boat striking the motor along the way.  The impact came close to capsizing Operator2's boat to the port side in which he turned.  No one was injured from the impact and Operator2 was able to tow Operator1's boat to shore.
  
  After removing the boats from the lake, I examined each one.  Looking at the Triton (Operator2's boat) I could see the damage started at the bow's nose of the boat and ran down the keel and along the starboard underside all the way to the starboard rear corner of the boat.  Also, the trolling motor which was mounted on the top front of the bow was bent into a slight U-shape.  Looking inside of Operator2's boat, there were large sections of plastic from the motor of Operator1's boat lying on the starboard side of the front deck.  The Ranger boat (v1) sustained damage to the starboard rear corner leading across the back deck and deflecting up onto the outboard motor angling away from the inside of the boat.  The impact gashed the starboard rear corner of the boat into the fiberglass knocking paint, plastic, and fiberglass debris throughout the interior of the boat.  The motor's housing was badly damaged at the top rear of the motor and some internal components of the motor had also been stuck which rendered the motor inoperable.  On a closer look at the boat's transom, I could see the impact was so great it had bent the bolts holding the boat's engine in place.  This pushed the motor approximately ¾ of an inch to the port side of the vessel's transom. No other damage forward from the mid rear deck area of v1 was noted.  This evidence leads me to believe the statements of each individual was consistent with what actually occurred.
  
  All vessels were equipped with USCG approved flotation devices, fire extinguishers, and all other safety equipment needed.  No one was injured in any way and no request for medical assistance was made by any individual involved.
  
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