ON FEBRUARY 17, 2009, ABOUT 12:00PM, OPERATOR AND OCCUPANT LEFT RHODHISS ACCESS AREA FOR A DAY OF FISHING.  OPERATOR WAS OPERATING A 17 FT FIBERGLASS BASS BOAT POWERED WITH A 150 HORSEPOWER ENGINE.  AFTER LEAVING THE ACCESS AREA, OCCUPANT STATED THAT HE AND OPERATOR FISHED MOST OF THE AFTERNOON WHILE DRINKING A FIFTH OF CANADIAN MIST.  THEY TRAVELED TO CASTLE BRIDGE AND BACK STOPPING ALONG THE WAY TO FISH AND DRINK.  ON THE TRIP, OCCUPANT STATED THAT THERE WAS A LITTLE WATER COMING IN THE BOAT AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO BILGE IT OUT BY HOLDING THE WIRES FROM THE BILGE PUNP TO THE BATTERY.  WHEN OPERATOR AND OCCUPANT CAME BACK DOWN THE LAKE NEAR RHODHISS ACCESS AREA, OPERATOR STARTED TO OPERATE IN A CARELESS AND NEGLIGENT MANNER.  OCCUPANT STATED THAT OPERATOR WAS DOING DOUGHNUT TYPE MANEUVERS AND AT ONE TIME HIT THE SHORE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED.  AT THIS TIME, THE BOAT HAD TAKEN ON SOME WATER SO THE MEN DECIDED TO LEAVE.  OPERATOR DROPPED OCCUPANT OFF AT THE ACCESS AREA ABOUT 5:00PM.  OCCUPANT THEN BACKED THE TRAILER INTO THE WATER.  OCCUPANT STATED THAT OPERATOR HIT THE SIDE OF THE TRAILER, TRYING TO DRIVE THE BOAT ONTO THE TRAILER.  OPERATOR THEN BACKED UP IN A HIGH RATE OF SPEED, LOWERING THE STERN UNDER THE WATER LEVEL FLOODING THE BOAT.  OPERATOR THEN PUT THE ENGINE IN FORWARD GEAR AND BEGAN TURNING AROUND TO GET LINED UP ONTO THE TRAILER AGAIN.  AS HE WAS TURNING AROUND, THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING AND WOULD NOT START AGAIN.  AT THIS TIME THERE WAS ABOUT 8 TO 10 INCHES OF WATER IN THE BOTTOM OF THE BOAT.  OPERATOR THEN TRIED PADDLING TO SHORE WITH A RISHING ROD.  NOT BEING ABLE TO PADDLE THE BOAT, OPERATOR JUMPED IN TO SWIM TO SHORE.  THE BOAT WAS APPROXIMATELY 35 YARDS FROM SHORE.  OCCUPANT STATED THAT OPERATOR SWAM ABOUT 40 FEET AND SCREAMED "I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT".  OCCUPANT JUMPED IN AND SWAM ABOUT 10 FEET TOWARD OPERATOR.  REALIZING THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE IT TO OPERATOR, OCCUPANT SWAM BACK TO THE SHORE, TOOK HIS JACKET OFF AND LOOKED FOR OPERATOR.  OCCUPANT COULD NOT SEE OPERATOR.  OCCUPANT THEN JUMPED BACK INTO THE WATER BUT COULD NOT RESCUE OPERATOR.  THE RESCUE SQUAD FOUND THE BOAT ADRIFT ABOUT 600 YARDS AWAY ONE HOUR LATER.  THE BOAT HAD ABOUT 8 TO 10 INCHES OF WATER IN THE BOTTOM.
  ON FEBRUARY 19, 2009, ABOUT 12:00PM, OPERATOR'S BOPDY WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 40 FEET FROM SHORE AT RHODHISS ACCESS AREA.  

  THE TOXICOLOGY REPORT OF OPERATOR'S BAC HAS NOT COME BACK AT THIS TIME.
RHODHISS                      