Rangers Rescue Four People From Sinking Vessel

[LovinPowell]

Page, AZ * On Sunday, October 18, 2009, at aboutt 1:20 p.m., National Park
Service dispatch at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area received a
distress call on marine band radio from people on board a sinking vessel.
The call stated that the boat was rapidly taking on water and starting to
sink. Rangers responded from Dangling Rope Marina and two additional
locations on the lake. District Ranger Laurie Axelsen was first on scene,
locating the boat near buoy 25 and Face Canyon at about 1:33 p.m. Axelsen
immediately took two children and their two grandparents on board her
vessel. Rangers Schreck and Brazell arrived shortly thereafter to assist.
Attempts were made to save the vessel, but it sank about half an hour after
the initial distress call was made. Rangers Hunter and Marsoobian
transported the Salt Lake City family from the scene back to Wahweap.

Initial investigation indicates that while the family was boating in the
Padre Bay area, the vessel struck a submerged object, possibly a rock,
outside the marked channel. The operator continued upstream about two miles
before he realized the boat had been damaged and was taking on water.
Salvage efforts are underway to recover the cabin cruiser.

[jbort]

bad event - glad all r ok.

[chadster2]

was there no place to run her aground?

[Timmy!]

was there no place to run her aground?

That's what I was thinking - land is right there in the picture.

[tigesinaus]

seems strange... looks like they emptied their esky tho...

[talltigeguy]

was there no place to run her aground?

I wonder if he realized he was taking water on when it got over the spark plugs and the engine quit. That would be the only thing I could think of.

[LovinPowell]

Here is the story as told by the owner of the boat (through the Salt Lake Tribune):

Jonathan Horne, his wife and two grandchildren were prepared to jump ship as their boat slowly sank into Lake Powell on Sunday.

The 30-foot motorboat, named Dry Bones, struck a submerged rock about 1:10 p.m. and began taking on water, Horne said in an e-mail to The Salt Lake Tribune .

But just as the family finished placing valuables, the boat's log books and other documents into a dry cooler, rescue crews arrived.

"They were professional and very kind," Horne said. "I just said, 'Thank you for coming.'"

At first, Horne, 73, of Salt Lake City, thought the single, pointed rock he hit between Padre Bay channel and Face Canyon several minutes earlier had done little damage. He had stopped the boat, opened the engine compartment doors and only saw an inch or two of water in the bottom of the boat, he said.

"I put the engine doors back in place, dropped the out-drives, started the engines, idled for a minute; everything seemed fine," Horne said. "Hmm, lucky me, the ship's hull saved me."

The family started off again toward Rainbow Bridge. But the hole in the hull was bigger than Horne thought. After returning to a cruising speed of about 35 knots, the engine suddenly stopped.

"I knew immediately we were in trouble," he said.

Horne's 10-year-old granddaughter began to cry and thought she was going to drown.

When Horne opened the engine doors again, the water had risen a foot and was now above the boat's batteries.

"I was never scared," the orthopedic surgeon said. "That's my livelihood, dealing with emergencies."

The family had mattresses to float on if the boat had gone down faster. And they were only about 200 or 300 yards from shore.

Horne radioed the National Park Service for help. They responded in less than 20 minutes.

The Park Service crew helped the family off their sinking vessel. The crew and two other boaters then used a portable electric pump to try to keep Dry Bones afloat.

"This pump was helpful to prolong the agony, but the water level in the engine compartment continued to slowly rise," Horne said.

By 2:45 p.m., the boat's back end went under and only the bow was visible.

"I thought about it, but decided not to go down with the ship," Horne said. "I was, however, the last one on the Dry Bones."

Horne said he and his family were saddened to see their boat lost to the lake but were fortunate no one was hurt.

"In the final analysis, the boat did serve us to the end," Horne wrote. "It stayed up long enough for us to be transferred to the Park Service boat. We had many great, safe and fun cruises on Dry Bones. Thank you, Dry Bones."

[Timmy!]

That sucks! At least we know the real story now! I'm glad that no one was hurt!

[wakeatx]

Is Powell low or something? What's up with everyone hitting rocks out there...

[SPBFAN]

Powell and Mead are low. My boat stays at home from now on. I will use the wave runners on those lakes. It cost me a lot when I hit the rock at Mead.

[LovinPowell]

Is Powell low or something? What's up with everyone hitting rocks out there...

Powell is not as low as it was back in 2005. The water level always fluctuates and as it goes up or down, rock formations become submerged or visible, depending on the water level. So even if the lake were at full capacity, there could be some rock formations that are just a few feet underwater. At any water level there are going to be underwater hazards at Lake Powell. One just has to be aware and learn how to recognize them.