RedactedNarrative: On July 4, 2018, Operator1 was the operator of his 22'6” Malibu ski boat (vessel 1) on the waters of Lake Norman.  Operator1 was accompanied by 6 additional occupants within the boat and 1 individual being pulled behind the boat on skis.  Around 5:00pm, the boat became stationary between a small circular island and an elongated island closest to the west bank of the lake, about 0.90 miles downstream from Buffalo Shoals Bridge.  Once the skier got into position, Operator1 positioned his boat down the lake then accelerated the boat to a speed of 22 MPH (cruise control feature).  Note: Operator1 was seated in the operator's chair with his body facing the center portion of the boat.  Note: Operator1 and his passengers were primarily focused on their skier and were not looking forward in their direction of travel.  About 30 seconds after taking off and covering a distance of about 250 yards, Operator1 hears one of his passengers scream, he looks forward as his boat collides with Operator2's pontoon boat.  Operator1 was not able to change his speed or direction prior to impact.  Note: Operator1 did advise that wake boards attached to the left side of his boat along the role bar may have obstructed his view. 
  
  Operator2 was the operator of his 28' South Bay pontoon boat (vessel 2) on the waters of Lake Norman.  Around 4:45pm, Operator2 traveled under the Buffalo Shoals Bridge stayed in the navigational channel, went to the east side of the elongated island then came to a stop to let a few of his passengers off at the “Rock Cliff” on the east bank of the lake.  Operator2 then idled his boat slightly back up the lake while making a wide 180 degree turn to the left.  Operator2 came to a stop once his boat was near the center of the navigation channel and perpendicular to the “Rock Cliff” at about 5:00pm.  Operator2 placed a tube in the water then two people got on the tube.  One person was seated in the central area of the stern (back) looking to the rear while another was seated in the front port (left) area of the boat and facing to the rear.  Once the tube was in position, Operator2 positioned his boat down the lake then accelerated the boat to a speed of 15-20 MPH.  Operator2 was seated in the operator's chair with his body facing the center portion of the boat while looking in his direction of travel.  As Operator1's boat was approaching Operator2's boat from the back left, it passed by the 2 occupants on the tube who were yelling to prevent a collision.  As Operator1's boat neared, another person sees the boat and yells to Operator2.  The collision occurred about 15 seconds after taking off and after covering a distance of about 65 yards. 
  
  Operator1's boat approached Operator2's boat from the back left at a speed of 5-10 MPH faster than v2.  The impact angle was about 30 degrees.  It appears that the port (left) side bow about 2-3 feet back from the front was the primary point of impact and the bow eye was a secondary point of impact on Operator1's boat.  Operator2's boat sustained the primary impact at or just forward of the helm.  As Operator1's boat continued its momentum, it began to drive with great force into the railing of Operator2's boat, then shifted to the right as it glanced off the side while making continuous contact all the way to the bow (front) of v2.
  
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