1st Case of 2010!

Sunday, January 3, 2010, 0923 hours - Snowing, - -The "Drift Away" Gods have once again been angered. The phone rings, it is a Water Patrol Sergeant. He asks if we have a boat available to retrieve a "drift away". It had been floating around in a near-by cove and drifted to a dock of a "full time" resident who reported it to the Patrol. - - I looked out the window at a rather steady, blowing snowfall with over an inch accumulation, the thermometer was hovering at 15, winds from the ENE @ 10 mph - - Sure - - GREAT DAY FOR A BOAT RIDE! - Why not get the New Year off to an early start! I don my "Exposure Suit"/PFD, Grab some "toasties" for the toes and hand warmers, and head for the boat. - - Arrive on scene to find a nice little 20 ft, 1970's IMP. The lift had obviously leaked down and launched her in to the lake. (Note: The Gods will look upon thy situation with much more favor if thy still TIES thy boat off when on lift) Took her in tow and headed for home. I secured her in a covered slip, got registration numbers and other info and headed for house to warm up and report back to the Sergeant. The numbers he had been given before by the dock owner were incorrect, he runs them this time and WALLA - we have an owner! Less than 30 minutes after I get boat secured, phone rings and it is the owner, she lives in Kansas, had just been here last week and checked boat and blown up lift, but FORGOT to close the back-up valve and lift leaked down - - needed it taken back to her dock and put on lift - - - OOO KKKK - advised her we would take it back, but NO guarantee lift would stay up - BUT we would tie it off, just in case. Kirk Fischer, an occasional part time crewman, had just arrived to pick up my truck - so he was "volunteered" to crew for the trip back to boats home dock about 500 feet from where I picked it up - - - - - Yup - this is the life! As we cruised down the lake with the little IMP behind us - Kirk looked around and said - - "Looks like were the only IDIOTS out here"!! - -

PHOTOS: Top - Arriving on scene, 2nd - Kirk at helm on trip back, 3rd - Crewman Kirk making up the frozen towline, 4th - IMP secured on lift, safe at home.