JULY 4 WEEKEND

In the overall sense, this was a mild weekend for us, but our current summer case load is showing more than a 10 percent increase over last year.  The weekend here was hampered some by weather and keep in mind this was a "short" holiday weekend for many with the 4th falling on Saturday.  Between Friday and Monday we made about 10 calls most of which occurred on the 4th which kept myself and Captain Jones out of the Osage Beach port, hopping.  We had only 1 BUI tow, though there were about 25 BUI arrests made on the water over the weekend, with a large majority of them being out of "Party Cove".  Our calls were pretty routine with the exception of the stranding of one of our BoatUS members on the evening of July 4.  The family kept their 32ft Regal in their condo slip not far from the Lodge of Four Seasons on water Fireworks display. They decided to get underway and proceed just outside the *"wave break" where they would have an excellent view of the fireworks, but still be close to "shelter" when the show was over so they could easily get back in to protected water before the heavy "goin home" traffic and large wakes hit. (*"Wave Breaks" are the lakes equivalent to a "breakwater", these are floating concrete barriers with panels that surround condo docks along the main channel and form a sort of harbor.  They are designed to reduce the heavy wakes from passing boats.  They are attached (anchored) with very large 3 strand poly line to large sinkers weighing several thousand pounds to keep them in place.  The sinkers can often be set in very deep water a couple of hundred feet or more from the "wave break".  The problem is - when the line (WHICH FLOATS) parts from the sinker (which seems to happen often) it will float to the surface - - this can result in as much as a hundred foot or more of 3 strand line which has now turned the color of "muck" floating, just barely on the surface - - - well, you guessed it - - Our unfortunate boaters decided to take up their viewing station near-by and WALLA! - - - they are now permanently anchored to a 2000 lb sinker and dangerously close to a concrete wall.  Once the fireworks display lets out, this calm water will turn in to a "mix master" and they will find themselves in danger of being slammed in to the wave break.  With the help of Missouri State Water Patrol,  yours truly,  some young crewman and some good old luck -  both of the wave break lines were cut and our boaters towed to their slip just as the "display" ended and a "frog strangling" rain storm hit.  The Rinker is kept on a "lift" so it was raised up and the rest of the line was removed from the screws in reasonable comfort under a roof - - - Good ending and some very happy BOATUS members.  Thanks also go to the Water Patrol officer #1250 Randy Henry and the two young men on the customers boat for getting the lines cut and for acting as "crew" on my boat so we could gather up all that line and get it over on the wave break and secured so we didn't have a repeat performance - - - kudos

Photos:  Taken in very low light and enhanced, not the best quality, but you might get the idea.

1.  The "boys" working at cutting the 2 nd line, while hanging on to the first line cut.  That young man later came aboard with that line and we got it over to the "break"

2.  The "wave break"  as you can see (barely) these are very large and could wreak havoc on a boat if it were slammed in to one.