9 people survive when boat capsizes in Lake Tahoe
By Kathryn Reed
Nine people are lucky to be alive after their boat was swamped with water and overturned in Lake Tahoe on Saturday.
When El Dorado County’s boat team arrived about one mile off shore from Dollar Point they found six people clinging to the hull of the boat, while three had been pulled on board a sailboat.
Sheriff’s Lt. Pete Van Arnum told Lake Tahoe News, “These people were from out of the area. They didn’t know about the danger of Tahoe and wind.”
Saturday was the most blustery of the three this holiday weekend. The boat patrol guys said it looked like the ocean on May 25.
Van Arnum also said the rental boat out of Sunnyside had “way too many” people for the size of watercraft, which was a ski boat.
Deputy Damian Frisby jumped in the frigid water to put life jackets on some of the people and assisted one woman to the sheriff’s boat. All had been in the water about 40 minutes before being pulled out by the sheriff’s and Coast Guard teams just after 2pm.
Van Arnum did not have the ages of those who were rescued or their hometown. All were taken to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
The sheriff’s search and rescue team was busy Sunday night with two incidents. One rescue was near Mt. Tallac and the other above Echo Lake in Desolation Wilderness. Everyone was successfully rescued.
No doubt that the operator of the craft is ultimately responsible, but what about the rental company? What are they doing renting out boats on super windy days. Don’t they have a responsibility to watch the weather and appropriately run their business so that they’re not putting uninformed visitors in unnecessary danger?
Stupid tourists, their ignorance put rescuers in danger. Thank you deputy Frisby and the other rescuers.
Sunnyside rentals needs a 2 X 4 up along side the head. They are responsible too!
Steven, I’m pretty sure some “stupid” locals have put themselves in bad positions, or even died, while on the lake as well, also putting rescuers lives at risk. Sometimes stupidity is just a human trait that transcends categorization.
I still dont know how they didnt get hypothermia being a mile out for 40 minutes this time a year
” All were taken to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia.”
You can’t fix Stupid
And you can’t legislate against stupid either.
Well, there goes another one of Lee’s boats! Those Ski Nautiques hold up to 6 people, and that’s packing them in. Hopefully his employees will use this as a valuable lesson learned and take more responsibility towards who they rent and when they rent their ski boats.
Pay attention to the comment made by West Shore Gal.
” Well, there goes another one of Lee’s boats”
What does she know and how did she find out? Interesting !!
They must have picked up others away from sunny side.
And Yea Tahoe can be very scary in a Ski boat on a windy day.
I remember a couple of very scary episodes trying to help others who had capsized when the winds were bad and the waves were big. Watching water slosh over the sides while trying to maintain a position. But you had to do it or you knew they might die. I also once abandoned (Tied Up) over by the old Cal Neva pier because the waves were too big around the point to get back to Homewood.
It happens. But even 4 people in a small Ski boat would have been treacherous.
MTT and any other Tahoe boaters,
If youv’e been on the lake for any amount of time you know how fast things can change with the wind. From a slight riffle it can suddenly change to 3 or 4 foot waves in no time at all… Here’s a few tips.
#1. Always check the weather forcast before you get out on the lake. But be prepared, as they, (NOAA, local weather and others) are not always correct in their predictions. Winds normaly coming west south west can change and you can be in big trouble real fast.
#2. If you don’t already have a marine radio on your boat, get one! Coast guard, SLT Police, El Dorado county boats and Vessel Assist are right there to help you if you find yourself in a bad way.
#3. Too many rental boats are sent out on the lake with a very brief talk about boating saftey and what to do in case of emergency. This needs to change. Tourists getting out on the lake and they really don’t know anyhing about the boat they rented or the lake they’re on. Shallow areas with rocky outcroppings, the long shelf that runs off of So. Shore, the speed limit in Emerald Bay, swimming areas where boats are prohibited and lots more.
#4. Marina owners! Before you let that rental boat leave the dock make sure the people renting the boat know the rules of the waterway and safe boating practices. You may just save a life and save your self some serious bucks.
Thanks for listening, Old Long Boat
I worked at a local marina for a summer season back in the 80’s. It was our job to teach people who had never driven a boat, many couldn’t swim, and some spoke little English, how to drive a boat in three minutes or less. Recipe for disaster? YOU BET!