On saturday 4/16/2011 the weather had been deteriorating all day, getting more and more windy. At approximately 14:42 i received a call from twra dispatch of a capsized vessel on douglas lake. I responded on scene at approximately 15:00 to shady grove access area, dandridge, tn. Upon arrival i was told by rescue squad members that the boating victims had been brought in to shore by another fisherman and had been taken by land to the douglas dam free launch by another party. I was able to locate the boat off of ferry hill rd, dandridge, where the boat was being held against the shore line by constant wave motion from the storm. The boat was partially submerged, but was not capsized. After talking with the operator and passenger, the large waves created by the wind had caused considerable trouble for operator and passenger who were trying to drive their vessel back to shady grove access area. According to the two, wakes from passing vessels along with the wind created waves swamped their boat, causing power failure. Due to the power failure, the bilge pump was unable to perform, leaving the boat filled with water. The boat was unable to stay afloat and began to sink in the stern. The occupants in the vessel were picked up by a passing vessel and taken in to shady grove access area. The boat was left and was forced by the waves into a cove near mulberry way where it was pinned to the shoreline near ferry hill rd.
DANDRIDGE                     