On Saturday, July 1st at around 14:00, operator was operating a pontoon boat in the no wake zone at Tims Ford Marina, on Tims Ford Lake.  Operator had just bought the boat and was taking it from the previous owners slip at the marina, to the boat ramp on the other side of the dock, to take it off the water.  

As Operator operated the boat around the end of D dock, there were other boats that were passing nearby and Operator stopped to let them pass.  There were high winds, (around 30mph gusts), as a storm was blowing in.  The winds blew against Operator''s boat and started turning it, until the boat''s port side was taking the full force of the wind. 

 A strong gust hit the port side of the pontoon boat and it started to roll over to its starboard side.  Operator, his wife and grandson, who were on the boat with him, all ended up in the water and swam to the nearby dock, all occupants were uninjured.  Operator''s pontoon boat was flipped completely upside down in the water.  

The Franklin County Rescue Squad arrived as the storm ended and were able to get Operator''s boat flipped upright again.  The boat was upside down for approximately 3.5 hrs and had drifted out of the no wake zone.  All of the boat was submerged for that time, except the pontoons and lower unit of the outboard.  

The boat had a hard canopy and was partially enclosed on the back half of the boat, with an enclosed bathroom on the starboard side rear of the deck.  Investigating officers found that the front canopy was damaged and there was damage to the wall of the bathroom and the railing wall behind the operators console, plus any damage that occurred to boat/motor/electronics from being submerged for over 3 hrs.  

Investigating officers noticed that once the boat was initially turned upright, it was leaning to its starboard side.  Once the boat was in the slip and most of the water was drained, the boat appeared to be sitting mostly level.  Operator advised that he had not noticed the boat seeming unbalanced or leaning to the starboard side, prior to the accident.

TIMS FORD RESERVOIR
WINCHESTER                    