Vessel 1, with three persons on board, left Detroit around 4:00 p.m. headed toward Put-In-Bay.  The Operator at the time of this incident indicated that he was not the owner of Vessel 1, and had in fact only met the other two persons on board for the first time earlier that day.  The Operator stated that he was operating Vessel 1 because the Owner was "too drunk to drive".  The Operator also indicated that he had never been to the Put-In-Bay area before and, although he wasn't sure whether the GPS was on at the time of the incident, he noted that he did not know how to use it.  At some point, Vessel 1 ran into the shore at Catawba Island at a speed of approximately 30 miles per hour, causing injuries; the Operator and other Occupants were unable to provide any additional details regarding the accident.  The Operator did state that he "was going too damn fast". Following the grounding, the Operator reported seeing a fire on the port side engine of Vessel 1 and was unable to shut Vessel 1 down even after te key had been turned to the off position. 

Law Enforcement Officers found indications of intoxication through HGN  and placed the Operator under arrest at the hospital.   The Operator reported that he had consumed 2 beers at home and 2 beers on the boat.
Catawba Island                