On 06/19/12 at about 11:00 am I, CPO, received a call from the Illinois State Police dispatch in Elgin that a sunken boat had been spotted on Fox Lake near Stanton Bay.  CPO responded in a work boat, while I ran the Illinois registration numbers provided by the ISP dispatcher.  The boat came back.  While on my way to Electric Harbor, the tow boat operation dispatched to retrieve the sunken vessel, I was contacted by ISP dispatch and told that Operator was calling about his boat.  I was given Operator''s phone number by the dispatcher.  I called and left a message for Operator.  Minutes later, Operator called to say it was his boat.  Operator indicated his boat had lost power about 4:30 pm on 06/18/12.  In the high wind and wave conditions, Operator attempted to anchor the boat and called for a tow.  Operator said his boat began to take on water and that he, "stuck with the boat for 20 or 30 minutes," then attempted to swim to shore.  He said he was picked up by a passing boat about 6:00 pm.  The rescuing boat returned him to his trailer at Inland Harbor, where he slips his boat.  Once at his trailer, Operator said he called the Lake County Sheriff''s Police and that three deputies came to his trailer to discuss the incident.

CPO and I met with the tow boat operators from Electric Harbor at Captain''s Quarter''s marina in Antioch.  They had pulled Operator''s boat from the water and were draining it.  We checked to make sure all safety equipment was accounted for and took photos of the watercraft.  The photos are attached to this report.  After draining the boat, they took it to Electric Harbor to await Operator, who indicated he could retrieve his boat on Thursday, June 21.

Given that all of Operator''s identification was lost on the boat, he returned to his home in Chicago to start the process of replacing his belongings.  On 06/21/12, CPO spoke to Operator in person about the accident.  Operator said after his boat lost power, he anchored it off the stern, as he could not turn into the wind and waves on Fox Lake.  He then called for a tow, but the 2 foot plus waves began to come over the stern of his boat.  Operator indicated, again, that he stayed with the boat for 20 to 30 minutes before swimming to a passing pontoon boat.  The operators of the pontoon took him to his trailer at Inland Harbor marina where he later met with Lake County Deputy.  EOR

Fox Lake                      