3/04/09 "THE LAKE (OR GULF) IS THE BOSS"

Wednesday, 8:00 AM. 21 degrees, wind W, calm. The skies are overcast but turning blue, and the barometer predicts precipitation. I guess this is our promised thaw.
The tragedy of the football players evidently lost at sea in the Gulf reminds a lot of us here in Bayfield of the hazards of small boats in big water, which is what we live with here all the time. The boat that capsized was 21’, way too small for seas of 7’to 15’, and the manufacturer’s web site (Everglades Boats) characterizes it as an “inshore and shallow water boat.” It was probably simply out of its element in very high and rough seas. And, young guys think they are immortal; they evidently didn’t have life jackets on at the time the boat flipped over, and it must have been chaotically difficult to retrieve the life jackets and put them on in the water in heavy seas. The latest news indicates to me that they became hypothermic and delusional, which I know from personal experience can happen. Although the boat in question is “unsinkable,” due to its construction, an overturned boat and people in the water presents a perilous situation. All in all it didn’t look like a boat one would feel particularly comfortable in on Lake Superior out beyond the shelter of the Islands. Tragic, as these were fine young men, and all friends.
The Coast Guard is a real presence in Bayfield, the officers are mature and very experienced seamen, and the youngsters, both men and women, are highly trained and motivated.
In my experience the guys at least are all what we used to call “gear heads,” into anything motorized, like big pickup trucks, ATV’s and snowmobiles, which is helpful in the very mechanically oriented work that they do. They rescue scores of people here every year, people in trouble in small boats, kayaks and even on land if fallen off the sandstone cliffs or washed up onto the beach. The Coast Guard Station is located on First and Wilson. They have several patrol boats of various sizes, and can call a helicopter from another station if needed. During winter they are on call for ice rescue. There are coast guard residences scattered about town, similar to the house next to ours on South Tenth Street. These accommodations are usually allocated to young married couples with small children (the latter scarce in Bayfield) and these young families are pleasant neighbors. The Guard takes very good care of its properties, everything being “ship shape.” When you see photos of the Coast Guard at work rescuing folks during accidents at sea, from rooftops during floods and hurricanes, or patrolling our coastal waters, know that they are highly trained and motivated, and very good at what they do. But, old time fishermen and sailors in Bayfield have a saying, "the Lake is the boss," and that applies to the Gulf as well.