The operator of Unit 1 stated that as he was coming down the river, the steering jerked him to the left when he lost control and entered the tree line on the north side of the river.  Unit 1 jumped a tree that was parallel with the water and landed with the bow up in another tree before coming to a rest.  RO believed the motor was trimmed up for optimim straight line performance but was trimmed too high to properly negotiate the turn.  When the hull of Unit 1 finally caught enough water to steer, the motor was already turned to the port side to set a trajectory towards the tree line.  This resulted in a collision with the trees on the edge of the river.
Edisto River