Vessel 1 traveled under the Sandusky Bay Bridge; while exiting onto the lake (from Sandusky Bay) from under the bridge the Operator of Vessel 1 realized that the waves were too large to be safely navigated by Vessel 1.  The Operator of Vessel 1 then attempted to turn Vessel 1 around to return to the bay at which time the motor on Vessel 1 stopped operating.  Vessel 1 then drifted back toward the bridge pilings as the Operator tried to restart the motor.  The Operator was able to successfully restart the motor, but gave the motor too much gas upon resuming operation and struck the bridge piling causing damage to Vessel 1.  The bridge piling itself sustained no significant damage.  No injuries resulted from the incident and the Operator of Vessel 1 was able to pilot Vessel 1 back to the slip following the incident, although after being lefted from the water the damage resulted in the total loss of Vessel 1.
Sandusky                      