Steamboat Lake Marina

Quite an exciting weekend the 4^th turned out to be.  I’m here to report that one of the most uncommon events I’ve ever witnessed took place over the past few days… the sinking of a vintage ski boat just yards from the no-wake buoys at the marina entrance. 

Now this wasn’t an intentional sinking of any kind.  You know, the way the Navy might intentionally sink a machine boat or retired ship to create a diving attraction.  No, the theory on this sinking was simply a loose plug which allowed an overwhelming amount of water to flow into the back end of the craft.  With more water on board than the boat could handle, the vessel sank faster than it takes to microwave a burrito.

Luckily, all the passengers on the boat were able to quickly swim from danger and nobody was harmed in the accident.  The trouble then became finding the boat and hiring a salvage crew to remove the craft from the bottom of the lake.  Choppy waves created by a busy 4^th of July made it difficult.

Finally on Monday the 6^th, certified divers found the sunken vessel and were able to secure it to air-filled buoys.  Giving the boat a slight lift off the bottom, salvage divers were able to handily guide it to the boat ramp and the owners of the boat were able to get it secured to their trailer.

Miraculously, the boat suffered very little structural damage and the owners are fully intending to get it back on the water very soon.  The entire salvage process caught the interest of both boaters and visitors to the park alike. 

Now that the boat has been safely retrieved, one has to beg the question… what will do for excitement around here?