posted 09-13-2015 06:10 PM ET (US)        

On Wednesday, September 2, 2015, we hauled our boat over to Lake Leelanau to go for an afternoon boat ride. We got underway from the boat launch at The Narrows, and headed into the southern half of the lake. It was a very warm summer afternoon, there was no breeze, and it was quite humid--good conditions for a boat ride on a lake.

As we headed south through a no-wake zone, some clouds began to occasionally block the sun. Once we cleared the no-wake zone, we got the boat on plane and cruised along the east shore of the lake, heading south. We were looking for the remains of an old resort on the lake that our family used to visit in the 1950's, a place called Au-She-Gun Landing. I remember it from many trips up there for a week of vacation every July, and from old home movies my dad filmed there. The cabins we rented were very rustic--even by 1950's standards--and I was curious to see if there was any sign of the old place left on the shore.

Several miles south from the launching ramp, we found a few of the old c.1940 cabins still standing, although they were now bunched together on what appeared to be one lot. The rest of the resort property appeared to have been sold off and the lake frontage converted into private homes and cottages.

I took a few pictures of the old cottages to send to my brother, to remind him of the days of our youth on Lake Leelanau. Then I noticed the weather. The sun was disappearing, blocked by low gray clouds, and the wind had really picked up. It was blowing from the North now at about 20-knots, and wind waves had formed on the lake. The air was much cooler than when we had launched about 40-minutes earlier, and it looked like it might rain any moment.

The weather had very quickly deteriorated. We decided to head back to the launch. Going back to the North was quite a run into what was now a very stiff headwind. We had about 30-MPH of boat speed, and into the wind we must have had at least a 50-MPH boat wind. It was a huge change in conditions in just 40-minutes from when our cruise began.

As we were heading north along the east shore, I noticed some flags on shore were flying out stiffly from their masts, a good indication of wind at 20-knots. The weather had made a very sudden change from the start of our cruise just moments earlier.

We soon were at the no-wake zone and entering The Narrows. Coming toward us in the buoyed channel was an 18-foot Boston Whaler GUARDIAN type boat, fitted out as the Leelanau County Sheriff's Rescue Boat. There were three men aboard. The boat had apparently just launched from the ramp a bit farther north.

As the Sheriff's boat came close, its red flashing police lights came on. My first reaction was that was a signal to us to stop for boarding. I was quite confused why they'd want to board our boat at this instant, as we were in a very narrow and very shallow channel. There was only about 3-feet of water here, and the wind was blowing very strongly, making it difficult to steer at low speeds.

It soon became apparent the Sheriff's boat had no interest in us, as we got not a glance from the occupants as the boat passed by us close abeam. They were heading to the lower part of the lake. Glad to not be getting stopped and boarded, we continued on toward the launching ramp.

When we arrived at the ramp, one boater had managed to tie up both sides of the ramp, one with his trailer backed into the water, and the other with his boat tied to the courtesy dock. It looked like he might be there a while, so rather than idle around near the ramp, we continued along the channel, exploring the northern part of The Narrows, which leads into the upper part of Lake Leelanau.

Eventually we returned to the ramp, and hauled out. Of course, by the time we drove back home, about a 15-minute drive, the sun had come back and the weather had cleared up. The Leelanau Peninsula is only about 4-miles wide at its northern end and it doesn't take long for weather to blow over it.

While all this was happening, we were completely unaware of a real tragedy that was taking place on Lake Leelanau, and occurring just a short distance across the lake from where we had been taking pictures. We learned the details of this story from newspaper accounts.

On the west side of Lake Leelanau at Kelenski Point, less than a mile opposite from where we had been taking photographs of the old cabins, there is a sandbar. This is apparently a popular spot for boaters to anchor and gather. A group of four people had anchored their boat on the sand bar, and were swimming or wading in the shallow water. Apparently when the wind came up, their boat dragged its anchor and began to drift away. The water depth increases rapidly once off the sandbar. They began to swim after the boat, but one them disappeared in the winds and waves.

Later that evening the Sheriff's divers recovered the body of a 56-year-old man, who was the pastor at a church in Interlochen, a community just a few miles away.

I was very unnerved to hear about this. When we were on the lake I thought the conditions were quite unusual, the wind unusually strong and the waves unusually high for a small lake. To learn that another boater was drowning in those winds and waves just a mile away from us came as both a shock and a surprise.

This accidental death while boating made me realize how easy it might be to get into serious trouble, even on the water of a small lake that should normally be very protected and calm. There can be danger in boating, and we often overlook it. We need to be more mindful of what can happen if you are unexpectedly in the water and have to swim in winds and waves.

A second thought came to mind: I didn't have our VHF Marine Band radio operating while we were on the lake. Having the radio on is normal procedure on our boat, but I don't think it was operating that afternoon. I did not anticipate making or receiving any radio calls on an inland lake. I never turned it on after we launched and got underway.

Would I have been alerted to the distress situation on the other side of the lake if I had my VHF Marine Band radio in operation and monitoring Channel 16? I don't know. I don't know if the boat that was drifting away from the sandbar had a radio, or if it did if any calls were made from it on Channel 16. Perhaps the boaters called the Sheriff on their cellular telephones. I suspect that on an inland lake there normally is not much Marine Radio traffic.

That we were less than a mile away from a boating accident that resulted in a fatality and we were completely unaware of it seemed strange. Who knows if we could have rendered aid to the other boaters. Perhaps we could have taken them to their drifting boat if we had heard a call on the radio. But, since I don't think we even had our VHF Marine radio operating that day, we wouldn't have heard that call.

As a result of this unfortunate accident and our coincidental boating on the same lake at the same time, I am now more than ever a believer in the need to keep our VHF Marine Band radio in operation and tuned to Channel 16 at all times. While there might not have been any chance of our radio being off becoming a factor in this tragic drowning, our closeness to the other boaters and our complete unawareness of their plight was a shock that reminds me we should always keep a radio watch on Channel 16.

For additional coverage of the drowning on Lake Leelanau, see

http://www.9and10news.com/story/29947996/ benzie-county-mans-body-recovered-in-lake-leelanau

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2015/09/ weather_a_factor_as_man_dies_w.html

The Sheriff's Boston Whaler rescue boat can be see at

posted 09-13-2015 11:22 PM ET (US)            

quote:

---

Visual Distress Signals (33 CFR 175.101)

Vessels operating on U .S . coastal waters, the Great Lakes, and territorial seas, as well as those waters connected directly, up to a point where the waterway is less than two nautical miles wide, must be equipped with U .S . Coast Guard-approved visual distress signals (VDS) . Vessels owned in the United States and operating on the high seas must also be equipped with U .S. Coast Guard-approved visual distress signals

The following vessels are not required to carry day signals, but must carry night signals when operating from sunset to sunrise:

--recreational boats less than 16 feet in length

--boats participating in organized events, such as races, regattas,
or marine parades

--open sailboats less than 26 feet in length that are not equipped
with propulsion machinery

--manually propelled boats

---

Lake Leelanau is connected to Lake Michigan, but not directly. A dam intervenes. Also, the width of the connection is very narrow, much less than two miles wide. Under those circumstances, the federal laws do not apply on Lake Leelanau.

posted 09-14-2015 02:54 PM ET (US)            

Of course if you're on a submerged sandbar in a storm you might have to weigh your odds of swimming for it vs staying put.

From one of the articles [linked above]:

"The sheriff hoped only that as boaters head out onto lakes for the holiday weekend and other trips in the future, they realize the value of having a 25-50 foot rope attached to a life ring aboard any vessel. The rope enables rescuers to continue throwing the life ring until it reaches the intended target."

I'm not 100% sure if I agree with this. During our SOLAS training we learned that the first, VERY first thing you should do when a man goes overboard is to throw something, anything that will float, to mark the position, as well as to give him something to hang on to. People disappear very quickly in wind and waves. 2nd thing is notify the bridge, preferably while continuing to visually track the victim. 3rd is stand lookout and visually track and point so the watchstanders can find him. Ideally there are enough men on deck to share these tasks and the victim can be kept in sight at all times. If there are extra hands on deck everybody should try to maintain visual contact and point at the location to aid the bridge until he is recovered.

That said having some sort of throwable line is certainly an excellent idea for pulling them back in. And these guidelines are designed for ships under way on the ocean, not small boats on inland lakes. But some lakes are pretty big...

posted 09-14-2015 03:37 PM ET (US)            

Definitely a case for always monitoring 16. I remember when 16 was for both hailing and emergency, which seemed to make more sense, but it is what it is.

This also reinforces my anchor line scope paranoia. Coming from a sailing background, I was worried about scope when I got this boat. The previous owner had 150ft of 3 strand with a splice/eye at the end, but never cut it up. I wound up buying a 1-size-too-big fortress and keeping all 150ft of line on there. We also have a smaller anchor with a more reasonable rode, but I tend to use the Fortress despite the nightmare of coiling all that line.

I see smaller boats pulled up at the beach, etc. and they don't have much line out. It seems to work fine for them but I always worry. The only problem is if you are in a crowded area people may not be expecting such a long rode!

posted 09-14-2015 03:46 PM ET (US)            

If I was in your situation; i.e., significantly sized lake, no cellphone coverage, and no marinas (nor anyone else for that matter) that monitor or use the marine VHF band, I'd consider an aviation handheld. The emergency freq of 121.5 might allow you to talk directly to an aircraft overhead.

Another thought would be one of the newer EPIRB's.

posted 09-14-2015 05:51 PM ET (US)            

That's where an aviation walkietalkie might be handy.

Regards - Don

posted 09-15-2015 09:15 AM ET (US)            

quote:

---

An EPIRB or PLB would be the quickest and most reliable way to summon help out there.

---

posted 09-15-2015 01:25 PM ET (US)            

No VHF, PLB, nor visual distress signal would have saved the individual who drowned. Attempting to swim while carrying such devices is likely to increase the frequency of drowning incidents. Nor would having had every single one of these devices aboard the boat helped the drowing victim. None of the suggested communication methods would have helped the survivors rescue their friend under the circumstances described.

Our boat has visual distress signals. It is also equipped with a fixed-mount VHF networked to GPS with DSC/MMSI, connected to an eight-foot whip antenna, and which is kept on while operating the vessel. It also has a hand-held VHF with integrated GPS and DSC/MMSI. It further is equipped with a PLB with 66-channel GPS positioning, 406 mhz satellite communication, 121.5 mhz homing signal, and a bright strobe. None of these would have helped the drowning victim in this case.

If anything, this should be a discussion of proper anchoring techniques, as well as the importance of maintaining situational awareness.

Also it's a good time to discuss swimming safety 101. At remote locations, have at least one safety-spotter remain in the boat to monitor the vessel and serve on life-guard duty. Always have throwable floatation readily available to assist swimmers in trouble. Keep a mask and snorkel aboard in the event a swimmer goes under and doesn't come up -- time to effect a rescue is critically limited and it's unlikely any rescuer summoned by any communication method will arrive in time to do more than assist in recovery. Take a CPR refresher course.

In short, don't be lulled into a false sense of security by required safety equipment lists or elctronic gadgets. Plan to be self-sufficient. Think "what-if." Think safety.

posted 09-15-2015 04:42 PM ET (US)            

Yes, it is a bit ironic to talk about safety equipment that should be on the boat when it is the boat that has drifted away from the swimmers. No one goes swimming with a VHF radio, a PLB, or an EPIRB attached to their swimsuit.

posted 09-16-2015 10:00 AM ET (US)            

Im only going to say this once, Binkster is right....About always looking over your shoulder for storms in the south that is, it is a possibility every single day. The more you sail or boat in the Southeast the more you know to look over your shoulder and always have an escape plan in the back of your mind.

posted 09-16-2015 02:19 PM ET (US)            

We ducked into a bay set a crab trap and waited as we relaxed with a happy hour and BBQ. Ironicly meanwhile at the very same time two people were fighting for their lives caught in an unfortunate circumstances. Didn't find out that news until the morning. It happened no more then 3-4 miles ahead of us and the hard part about it all was we were heading up in that direction to lay a trap but decided last minute to abort that plan as the sudden no warning wind was not favourable for laying a crab trap. I sometimes think maybe we would have seen or heard something and be able to react if we just had continued on.

Article is below but video tells the most info. Might need to scroll down to video.

http://globalnews.ca/news/2132561/ childs-body-found-in-waters-off-gambier-island-father-still-missing/

From my experience in the area I beileve they went for a swim out in the open and when this wind arrived from west it blew their boat away from the shore and then down current as it got deeper. Boats can turn so easily and catch much like a sail, at that point they we're forced to tred water in some very deep area with no where to go. I heard they were stopping for a short swim just before they got to the cabin. I know the spot everybody swims their because the water is very warm its literally less than 1/2 a mile off the island to where there end destination would have been at their cabin. I understand the urge but the boat was left unattended without anchor. That was the big problem here. Never ever do that. Possibly the dad may have had a heart attack and the girl was left to fend for herself. We won't ever know because the body was never found. Very sad indeed!
My sons cousin went to school with girl who died.

posted 09-16-2015 07:16 PM ET (US)            

Now living next to Lake Michigan I am extremely careful and trust it less than the Pacific Ocean and any whitewater or coastal stream moving water I ever ran I am more alert by far on that sucker; constantly watch conditions, monitor VHF, carry a hand held VHF, when in range I keep an eye on on-line resources, Weather Underground, NOAA and other radar sources. Any wisp of clouds on the horizon, wind change to the southwest, or stiffening west wind-- or both--is an indicator of time go get back to sheltered waters. No games. Four of us got caught in messy weather about six weeks ago, 10 or more miles from Grand Haven. We got to shelter, storm blew through, and we had to make way back in knarly conditions--and proved the Outrage 17 is one bad ass boat.

Plus we have drownings, near drownings, boat break downs routinely, and local news reports quite thoroughly.

Nevertheless, it is apparent that the news and NOAA has increased intensity and frequency of warnings about rip currents and hazardous conditions for small craft. Not able to confirm but I don't think there have been as many drownings around here this year as in previous years.

posted 09-20-2015 06:26 PM ET (US)            

As have it, he wind picked up and formed a small chop, big enough to bounce the boats bow and unearth the anchor.

I was away only a short time. However I came to see my boat had slipped about 1/4 of a mile across the bay. With my heart in my mouth I was able to quickly swim out and rescue the boat before it either hit other boats or the reef which were now only a 100 yerds away.