RACE 4 OF THE SPRING SERIES BECOMES...OPERATION RESCUE!

Two of Lynn Creek Yacht Club’s members jumped to the rescue of two kayakers and become heros.

The race day started with fighting high winds, which seems to be the norm for this year. We were into the middle of the second race of the day (race 4 of the series), when two kayaks were spotted, but only one kayaker. The high winds and waves apparently knocked one of the kayakers over and flooded the kayak. The kayaker was in the water and unable to get back into the the boat.

Bob Ingle first spotted the situation. The committee waited anxiously to see if the kayeker was going to be able to remount his boat. However, the water is still cold and after sometime, we realized we could be looking at a real situation. A call was placed to the marina and a may day put out to the fleet.

Keith Ford and Carla Koonce immediately stopped racing and made a beeline for the troubled boaters. After a little work, they managed to get both kayakers and kayaks on board and get them to their destination safely.

Fortunately, the two kayakers were in good shape and none the worse for wear. However, it could’ve ended up a really bad situation.

Part of learning about racing is learning more about safety, being aware on the lake, and increased boat handling skills. Altogether, these skills helped avert a potentially bad situation.

Congratulations to the heroes (Keith and Carla) and Bob Ingle for being on top of the situation and to Happy Ours for giving up it’s lead in the race to help a fellow boater.