On September 5, 2010, at approximately 1430 hours, Officers were called to investigate a capsized vessel at Boat Dock 1 at Clinton Lake.  The weather was sunny and clear.  The wind speed was between 15-25 mph, resulting in rough, whitewater conditions.  The capsized vessel was approximately 100 feet from shore, just inside the buoy line, and only the front tip was visible above the water line.

Officer 1215 interviewed the operator and the passenger.  Operator said the boat''s steering column broke, so they used the trolling motor and their Yamaha PWC (operated by their son) to tow them back to shore.  They tried to return to the docks, but they missed their mark due to heavy traffic, so they unhooked from the PWC.  About 100 feet from the dock, the boat started taking in water from the stern area.  The boat began to sink, so Operator and Occupant abandoned the boat and swam to shore.        

Quality Tow and Recovery, out of Lawrence, KS, phone number 785-865-1624, recovered the boat and placed it on their flatbed trailer.  There was extensive scraping damage to the engine and stern area.  There was a hole in the upper hull on the port side, and the passenger windshield was broken off.

Operator and the boat''s owner loaded the boat onto their trailer and left the scene.  

There were no injuries, and alcohol was not involved.  A warning was issued for an inoperable fire extinguisher.

Lawrence                      