IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN TIME - - !

It has come to that time of year again - -  "Pumpkin Time" - after a rather busy season, Laura and I leave the lake for awhile and head for the farm.  Captains Jones, Johnson and Anderson will be holding down the fort at the Lake while we start getting things ready at Eagle Fork, we are a week behind and weather is NOT cooperating at all. Today (Sunday) we have major storms, rain and wind.  Our pumpkin crop isn't to bad this year and we plan to have "pick your own" starting after the 1st week of October - - - With a little luck - and help from the man upstairs - -  we should have a good year!

THIS IS OUR 2010 "GREAT PUMPKIN" MAZE
OPENING SEPTEMBER 25th

WHAT Goes DOWN - Must come UP -

Lift bags being removed as vessel is trailered

On August 19, this 1975, 17 ft Sea Sprite swamped at the 13.5 mm after hitting a dock and most of the 6 persons on board went forward to see if boat was damaged - - -.  The boat swamped down by the bow, all were in PFD's and quickly picked up by passing boaters with no injuries.  - The boat sank in 60 ft of water just off the main channel.  The vessel was not insured, but had to be removed.  An approximate location was GPS'd by the 1st Water Patrolman on scene and provided to us and our salvage partner ATLANTIS DIVE.  We decided to use this as an opportunity to do some "sonar" training and offered to raise the vessel, (at minimum cost) and tow it to nearby Shawnee Bend launch ramp where the owner could load it on his trailer.  About a week later we began to look for the vessel and were able to pick up a couple of "good" targets on (Hummingbird Side Scan) Sonar after a few hours.  Diver McNitt made a confirmation dive on the first target which turned out to be debris from an old sunken dock, diving on the second "hit", he located the vessel, standing straight up and down with the outboard buried in the mud.  (at 60 ft+ depth, a small boat standing nearly straight up and down is a hard target to read - another reason we wanted to practice).

A few days ago after making haul-out arrangements, the vessel was raised and returned to owner - a little worse for wear.

Diver McNitt watches as Sea Sprite begins to surface

The "Sea Sprite" has just surfaced from 60 ft below

 I MUST SAY, this could have ended in nearly the same way as some recent tragedies, but even if these folks were'nt well versed in "Stability Calculations"  - - - -

THEY HAD ON PFD'S!

WHY? - -

The lake, this weekend has been heavily marred by tragedy, with three, now 4 fatality's.  (While writing this post last evening a 46 year old man drowned while attempting to swim ashore after their swamped 16 ft runabout sank).
Three (3) senseless drownings and a death while merely docking ? - - you have to ask "WHY?"  How can something as simple as pulling in to a dock or jumping off the boat to swim a short distance to shore or merely strolling down to a dock and suddenly the lives of four people come to a tragic end - - - - you ask again, "why", how can this happen?   -   -   There are prevention methods that could have easily avoided the outcome of most of these tragedy's.  We just seem to ignore them.


DROWNING #1 - (24 year old) Victim jumped out of an anchored boat and was swimming to the bluffs. He began having difficulty and went under the water.
DROWNING #2 - (18 year old) "VICTIM WENT DOWN TO THE DOCK. SOON AFTER A FAMILY MEMBER HEARD A SPLASH, WENT TO THE DOCK AND COULD NOT LOCATE THE VICTIM. THE FAMILY MEMBER RETURNED TO THE HOUSE FOR A FLASH LIGHT TO SEARCH FOR THE VICTIM.  - - "
DROWNING #3 -  (46 year old) SUBJECTS WERE TRAVELING ON THE LAKE WHEN THEY NEEDED TO URINATE. THREE OF THE SUBJECTS WENT TO THE SAME SIDE OF THE BOAT, CAUSING WATER TO COME OVER THE GUNWALE, SWAMPING THE BOAT. THE SUBJECTS STARTED SWIMMING TO SHORE. THE VICTIM WENT UNDER AND THE OTHERS COULD NOT LOCATE HIM.  (Note:)  This was a 16ft Alumacraft Runabout - with three adult males standing on one side - - - - -.
FATALITY #4 - (26 year old) - THE OPERATOR WAS ATTEMPTING TO BACK INTO A DOCK SLIP IN IDLE SPEED REVERSE. THE BOAT WENT FROM IDLE SPEED TO FULL THROTTLE REVERSE CAUSING HIM TO HIT MULTIPLE BOATS. THE VICTIM WAS STANDING ON THE ENGINE HATCH GETTING READY TO THROW OUT A BOAT FENDER AND WAS STRUCK BY THE OTHER DOCKED BOATS. - - - - -.

WHY -?

As you read these brief descriptions of how someones life has ended - in almost each and every one there is room for "if" - "IF" you have spent any time on the water, you can see yourself, friend, loved one, in similar circumstances - - that did NOT have these tragic consequences - but could have - -.

"IF" a "PFD" or "Throwable" devices were used or handy - it may have been different -.

"IF" we allowed NO persons on the back, stern (or swim step) while maneuvering or docking (which we see every day)  - it may have been different.

OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH EACH AND EVERY FAMILY MEMBER OF THESE VICTIMS - 

The victim was struck while on back of this vessel, when it ran full astern in to a moored vessel pushing the stern under that vessel, striking the victim and running along starboard side.

WHEN ON OR NEAR THE WATER - 

THINK "IF"

REMEMBER!!

BOAT RESPONSIBLY - THIS WEEKEND (ALWAYS) U. S. COAST GUARD

News Release: Coast Guard reminds boaters to "Boat Responsibly" during Labor Day weekend

Wear a Life jacket

Boaters should always wear a life jacket. Wearing a lifejacket will increase the chances of survivability in a boating accident. The number one cause of boating fatalities is drowning, most often by sudden, unexpected entry into the water. The law states you must have a life jacket, or personal floatation device, for every person on board.  The Coast Guard suggests you go one step further and wear your life jacket at all times.  It is much more difficult to locate, access and don a life jacket at the moment the accident occurs.

Boat Sober

DO NOT boat under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.  Alcohol and drugs affect judgment, vision, balance and coordination.  Factor in boat motion, vibration, engine noise, sun, wind and spray and an operator's impairment is accelerated. Intoxicated boaters can face both federal and state charges with penalties of up to one year in prison and fines up to $100,000. But, don’t be fooled into thinking that lesser amounts of alcohol consumption are OK, or that passengers aren’t at risk if they drink. The latest study on boating and alcohol indicates that the risk of a fatality rises significantly at amounts as low as .02 Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). (Legal definition of intoxication in Missouri is .08 BAC.)

DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU - DESIGNATE A CAPTAIN!

NEED HELP??

ON LAKE OF THE OZARKS -

WE'RE READY TO SERVE
573 216-4701

THE SUN BEGINS TO SET ON THIS SEASON - - -

SUNSET, September 1st, looking west along Horseshoe Bend from Lake Ozark

Hard to believe, but we are going in to our last BIG weekend for the season - -.  We have not crunched a lot of numbers yet, but in general it looks like we had another record setting season and

  "it ain't over yet"

ADRIFT / ABANDONED PONTOON, HEADED FOR IMPOUND
As the lake begins to quiet down,  we're still working.   The above photo is a 1995 abandoned pontoon boat that we impounded for the Water Patrol on the 23 of August and still remains unclaimed.  We had exhausted all means to locate owner and the certified letter was returned as undeliverable - - - The above photo was taken on August 31, with pontoon in "High Speed Tow" being moved to a more permanent holding location.

HAVE A GREAT LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
PLEASE BOAT SAFE!
and REMEMBER - -