Cotuit man runs boat aground on Chappy

Police Accuse Driver of Drunken Boating

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A Cape Cod man drove his 43-foot speed boat onto the Chappaquiddick beach facing Edgartown harbor late Friday, telling police he had made a “navigational error.”

No one was injured in the incident, but pictures of the Hinckley Sport Boat 40C sitting high and dry on the beach, with three large outboards hanging over the sand, went viral on social media and local news broadcasts.

Riley Blizard, 32, a resident of Cotuit, Mass., was charged with operating a boat under the influence of liquor, and negligent operation of a boat, both misdemeanors.

He pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Monday in Edgartown District Court, and was released on $1,000 cash bail. His next hearing is set for June 27.

According to police reports, the boat ran aground at 9:40 pm Friday. When State Police Trooper Zachary Bolcome approached the two men in the cockpit, they said “a navigational error was made” and didn’t see the shore.

Bolcome said he gave Blizard, who appeared impaired, a field sobriety test. He was then arrested and taken to the Dukes County jail.

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