[Rhodes22-list] Boat Folleis

[Bob Weber]

Rummy, We had a similiar thing happen here in St. Louis last year.  There 
were 2 couples that took their 28 foot speedboat from near Fenton on the 
Meremac river to a bar in Alton ILL north of St. Louis on the Mississippi.  
It is about 40 miles as the crow flys and maybe 60 miles by water.  Being 
the safety conscience people they were they stayed at the bar until close 
and attempted the 60 mile trip down one tough river to navigate (miss) and 
up an unmarked river at about 1:30.  He hit the first lock at full speed and 
just about got the whole boat to go thru the 2 foot concrete dam.  About 10 
foot of the bow was hanging over the lock.  There was actually one survivor 
who confirmed what everyone knew from the picture in the paper - alcohol was 
involved and the driver was new to boating.  If I was able to navigate that 
streach at night perfectly sober and at half throttleI would feel like I 
cheated death.  I guess that stuff does impair judgement.
Bob

>From: R22RumRunner at aol.com
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Boat Folleis
>Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 14:51:57 EDT
>
>Bob,
>One of the dumbest boat tricks I can remember happened when we were still
>living on Lake Wissota in Wisconsin. It happened after dark, but I don't 
>think
>it would have mattered. Lake Wissota is formed on the Chippewa River by a
>hyro-electric dam, as are many lakes in Wisconsin. In front of the dam on 
>the
>lake side are three different barriers starting with a rope and buoy 
>barrier.
>The second barrier is also rope, but has twice as many buoy's. The third 
>and
>final barrier is a steel cable approximately three feet above the water to 
>give
>  someone a final grasping place before going over the dam.....in theory.
>As I said, it was dark and the boat driver was alone (thank God) and very,
>very drunk. He had left the local watering hole on one end of the lake and 
>was
>headed home. Apparently he became disoriented and went over the dam going
>full  speed which was estimated at between fifty and sixty miles an hour. 
>The
>drop to  the bottom is several hundred feet. The boat and his body went 
>over the
>dam, but  his head was found in a different location. You guessed it, the
>cable  took his head off before he got to the dam. Hard to believe this 
>could
>happen  because the dam is lit up like a parking lot at night. Must have 
>thought
>he was  going to Walmart.
>Rummy
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