Boaters watching the stadium scoreboard have been blocking the commercial shipping lanes. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

        The guy in the Bengal-striped pants grabbed for his beverage and chips, kicked up his feet, and cheered wildly at the action at Paul Brown Stadium. Then a coal barge nearly ran him over.

        This Bengals-game scene returned to the Ohio River on Sunday as recreational boaters gathered near the Roebling Suspension Bridge to watch highlights on the easily visible downtown Cincinnati stadium scoreboard.

        The problem: It isn't legal.

        Twice last week, the Coast Guard received official complaints from tow boat operators about recreational boaters throwing anchor in the middle of commercial boats' navigation lane and enjoying the game. No suspects were located.

        The Coast Guard didn't patrol Sunday, according to Lt. Robert Bowen of the Cincinnati station, be cause the unseasonably cold weather was thought to be deterrent enough.

        It wasn't.

        By the third quarter, there were eight boats stopped in the shadow of the Roebling, including the man who didn't appear to hear the oncoming barge's horn blaring. Petty Officer Todd Betteridge of the Coast Guard's dispatch center in Louisville said it received no complaints Sunday.

        River rules, Lt. Bowen said, require that recreational boats not park in the commercial lane unless they are in distress. He said the Coast Guard would likely issue warnings because “I'm sure the rec boater doesn't realize the potential.”

        Boater Mike Judy of Anderson, docking at Cincinnati Riverfront Marina near Cinergy Field with a group of four friends headed to the game, said he took his boat past Paul Brown Stadium on Thursday and was startled.

        “I was like, my God, it's like watching a large-screen TV in your living room,” he said.

        The Coast Guard has jurisdiction over commercial craft on the Ohio, but the conduct of recreational boaters is the responsibility of Ohio Natural Resources and the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife, according to Lt. Bowen.

        “It's something that's become a new problem,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Mike Sorlie. “Those scoreboards invite people to stop and watch. It never was brought up when the stadium was being built that this might be a problem.”

        Although water levels vary, the river's width is about 1,000 feet at Paul Brown Stadium, and the commercial navigable waterway is typically the 500 to 600 feet in the middle, Lt. Bowen said. But boaters park there because it provides the best view of the Bengals' scoreboard.

        The Coast Guard has scheduled a meeting with the state agencies later this month to address the issue.

        Complete Bengals coverage at Cincinnati.com

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