Operator was given the Miranda Warnings at 1114 by  Warden, and agreed to an interview and to giving a statement. Operator stated that he and the other occupants of the boat left the cabins via boat after dinner so that he could point out some locations for bear hunting. Operator stated that there was no alcohol on board the vessel but that he had consumed 2 glasses of wine over dinner. While the group was out, the weather began to rapidly decline. Operator said that because of the wind, rain, and poor visibility the group decided to return to the cabins. 
   On return, Operator estimated that he was operating at about ¼ throttle. He said that he was almost reliant on following the GPS trace marks to retrace their way back to the cabins. He estimates that between 2030 and 2100, he collided the boat with an unknown object. The impact forced he and the other occupants forward. Operator''s face impacted what he presumed to be the steering wheel of the boat. Immediately upon impact, the boat began taking on water. Operator mentioned that he saw a buoy but thought that they were on the outside of it. 
   All occupants of the boat were able to de-board and pull the boat onto the shoreline. Operator said that the group made a fire on the shoreline and waited for a passerby to see them. Several hours later another boat passed by and assisted the group on the shoreline. After warming them up, the operator of the boat, who is unknown, took Operator and his occupants back to their lake cabins.
   The boat, a 2001 Crestliner 222, had a clear cabin cover on. Several of the occupants of the boat stated that they had to continually wipe the inside of the cabin cover in order to see out due to significant condensation.  It was also mentioned by an occupant of the boat that when they impacted the unknown object, the boat was on plane. Operator verified this in a later interview. The occupants also stated that visibility was so poor that they were almost completely reliant on re-tracing the GPS back to the cabin. 
   After completing the interviews, Warden left the cabins to investigate the scene of the crash. On approach I saw the wrecked boat on the shoreline near Beartooth Recreation Area and that site''s dock. From approximately 400 meters I could see a white and orange buoy and what appeared to be rocks above the water surface. Upon arriving at the boat I found the following:
-     The boat was no longer floating but was tied off to a tree on the shoreline
-     It was properly registered and had all required equipment
-     The passenger''s chair was cracked at the base
-     The back of the boat was flooded and the bilge pump was still running
-      The outboard propeller had significant gouges
-     There was blood on the steering wheel and the port side of the boat
   Subsequent to investigating the vessel, Warden and I drove closer to the buoy. No under water hazards were noticed outside of the area marked by the buoy. Two large, jagged rocks protruded above the water surface on the inside area of the buoy which read “Danger Rocks”. It appeared that the rock nearest the buoy had a cream colored mark on it which is the same color of the lower portion of Operator''s boat.
  Operator retrieved the boat from the lake on 5/30/2012. Warden met with operator on 5/31/2012 to obtain pictures of the boat''s underside and to issue him a citation.
   Based on the findings of this investigation it is believed that the  wreck  occurred as a result of Operator operating the vessel at an unsafe speed for the poor weather condtions and low visibility.

Wolf Creek                    