The Great Lakes and Great Stupidity

[Medmech]

Its game on in Michigan, Great Lake storms and swells kick up in minutes and boaters find their God.



Search on for missing swimmer after body of Mich. angler found

Midday update

Corey Williams
Associated Press

DETROIT - The body of a fisherman was found Monday morning in Lake Erie as search teams worked to recover the body of another man last seen swimming near Turtle Island a day earlier.
An angler found the body of 41-year-old Gregory Zentgraf about 7 a.m. Monday two miles from the mouth of Monroe County's River Raisin.
Zentgraf of Flat Rock was reported missing Friday when the fishing boat he and his future brother-in-law, Devon Boik, were in began to take on water during a storm. They were about three miles from shore near Bolles Harbor.
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"I really don't think they checked the weather," Monroe County sheriff's marine division Capt. MaryAnne Ortman said. "It seemed they were bound and determined to get out and fish. They threw their fishing lines in and realized it was getting rough."
Ortman said Zentgraf and Boik put on life jackets and jumped into the water before the 18-foot boat capsized. Boik told rescuers that Zentgraf began to panic.
"As he was flailing, the padding began to come out of his jacket," Ortman said. "He kind of just pushed off (from Boik) and went down."
Boik of Newport was rescued about 7 p.m. Friday.
Teams from Monroe County, the U.S. Coast Guard and Toledo, Ohio-area fire departments were preparing to search the lake for both Zentgraf and Sunday's victim when Zentgraf's body was found.
The second man, James Carter, 44, of Toledo was on a boat with his wife and a 12-year-old girl about 2:30 p.m. Sunday near Turtle Island when they decided to swim 60 yards to shore, Ortman said.
They were swimming against the wind, and Carter, who was wearing jeans, began to struggle in the 15-feet-deep water. His wife and the girl saw him go under, Ortman said.
Two people in the area on personal watercraft pulled Carter's wife and the girl from the water, said Capt. Howard Rudes of the Washington Township, Ohio, fire department.
Neither Ortman nor Rudes were sure if the girl was the couple's daughter.
Boats and helicopters searched the area near the Michigan-Ohio state line until 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Ortman said the water temperature over the weekend was in the low 60s.

[Pete Geither]

Sigh,,,, they accompany the skiers who die under avalanches, scuba divers who aren't aware of their surroundings, rock climbers who climb with no safety gear, nature seekers who think a grizzly is a fuzzy cute pet,, bike riders who ride without a helmet,,, etc, etc, etc.

[Chas H]

Yup,it's Darwin.

[riethoven]

Originally Posted by Pete Geither

Sigh,,,, they accompany the skiers who die under avalanches, scuba divers who aren't aware of their surroundings, rock climbers who climb with no safety gear, nature seekers who think a grizzly is a fuzzy cute pet,, bike riders who ride without a helmet,,, etc, etc, etc.

When I was studying for my Florida Contractor's Licensing Exam, I took a course from this guy named Darden Davis. He owned the school and was a very succesful entrepeneur. He drove a new 380SL. This was a few years back. That was until the day he went cave diving in Blue Springs in Deland Florida. He was found pinned under a log in the boil.

[Kuan]

When I worked SAR the most common call was for lost hikers, and the most common reason they get lost is because they forget to check the weather.

[Botnst]

Panic kills. Even when you totally screw-up, if you don't panic you still have a fair chance. This is the importance of training and routine -- if you train yourself and establish a routine your survival chances greatly increase.

Around here boating accidents are due to weather and unfamiliarity with proper safety procedures when in distress. Panic ensues and a knucklehead dies along with his kid, who thought daddy knew everything. X2 or X3 every year.

The otehr boating accidents (probably the majority, really) are *********s who drink and take a boat out. But that's another story.

People ... It's easy: Learn and PRACTICE safety procedures, check the weather, and don't get crocked.

[waybomb]

I live in St Joe on the river with a couple of slips in front of my condo, direct access to Lake Michigan. I watch boats going in and out all weekend long. It NEVER ceases to amaze me watching people heading out to the lake in open bow 18 footers, with the sky black to the west and with the weather band warning of storms coming. DOH!

You just know their life vests are stored below decks still in the plastic bags. You just know they don't turn on the VHF. You just know they don't have an anchor.

Why do people believe they can operate a boat without basic seamanship skills? I feel sorry for the USCG dealing with idiots like these.

[kerry]

I was docked at Cobourg during some inclement weather on Lake Ontario and some boaters from Port Hope took out an small motor boat with a cut down transom for the motor. Took a wave over the stern and that was the beginning of the end.
The first or second time I set out to cross Lake Ontario in my sailboat, the wind was about 25-30 knots and a couple of miles offshore the water coming over the bow began ending up in the cockpit so I decided to turn around. I was very inexperienced and to this day I don't really know whether I just chickened out in exhilarating sailing conditions or whether I made a wise nautical decision. My wife and 3 yr old daughter were aboard so that probably made me more conservative.