I KNOW SHIT HAPPENS, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO OPEN THE FRONT DOOR AND ASK IT TO COME IN

By Bob Walsh

 

On June 21 a tragic boating accident at Lake Tahoe took eight lives, leaving two survivors.  The NTSB has just issued it's preliminary report.

The boat was a 28-foot Christ Craft.  At ten people it was NOT overloaded.  The boat was only 2 years old and cost close to $400,000 dollars.  The boat launched at about 10:30 a.m. from the Tahoe City boat ramp.  The weather was good.  There were four people on board.  It stopped at a nearby marina and picked up six more people, then headed for Emerald Bay.

At about noon the boats driver decided the weather was looking dicey and it was time to head for the barn.  Emerald Bay is reasonably sheltered.  On the way back the weather got really unpleasant and the driver decided to head back to Emerald Bay.  For some reason, ten minutes later, the driver reversed course and again headed for the marina.  Into the storm.

The crappy weather turned from rain to snow with marble-size hail.  Waves as high as ten feet were reported.  The boat started taking on water and the bilge pump was switched on.  Then about 100 yards off of Rubicon Point the engine failed and the boat turned broadside to the waves.  That is a bad thing.  The boat took on a significant list, then starting taking water over the starboard aft.  For some reason nobody on board the boat made a distress call.  The boat rolled when it was hit by a large wave and everybody went overboard.  Two women survived.  One was wearing a life jacket.  One was found holding onto a life jacket.  The others on board died.  All of the bodies were recovered.  None were wearing life jackets.  The water was about 54 degrees at the time.  The boat rolled at 2:57 p.m. and was observed by people on shore.  They were the ones who put out a distress call.  Four life jackets and a life ring were recovered at debris.  Seven life jackets were recovered from the boat.   The boat has been salvaged and will be part of the investigation.  

The El Dorado County (CA) Sheriff's Office is investigating also.  South Lake Tahoe firefighters who arrived at the scene at 4 p.m. reported finding a Sheriff's boat broken up against the rocks nearby and two Sheriff's deputies, separated from each other but not harmed.     

Toxicology reports on the deceased are pending.   

I don't want to seem like I am blaming the victims here but I would think that, when the weather started getting dicey, or at the very least when the bilge pumps were turned on, I would have put on a freaking life jacket if I had not already done so.  I have swum in 54 degree water.  It saps you really quick.  The more energy you have to use staying afloat the less energy you have to use getting to shore.  None of the dead were youngsters.  Six of them were over 60.  The survivors were 40 and 65.  

It was as tragedy.  It probably would have been less of a tragedy had a little more common sense been used.