High winds, cold weather capsize Tahoe boats

When Lake Tahoe's weather took a turn from Indian summer to Old Man Winter last week, many boats became casualties of the turbulent waters.

Temperatures hovered in the mid 80s Sept. 26 with slow winds, but by Sept. 29, temperatures dropped to the low 60s and wind speeds ramped up to 43 miles per hour at the South Lake Tahoe Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

That's when the U.S. Coast Guard started receiving calls about capsized boats.

"It usually happened every year," said Coast Guard Petty Officer John Kinstrey. "If people leave their boats in the water - once the temperature freezes ... the water comes and the water picks up and the boats flood."

Wind speeds remained high and temperatures continued to drop through Oct. 3, when snow hit the basin for the first time this season.

The Coast Guard responded to three capsized boats during the cold weather.

Many of the boats were left on the lake by owners who were not full time residents, Kinstrey said.

"That's usually the problem a lot of these folks don't see the weather coming they don't know that it's cold and they just get the phone call that their boat sunk," he said.

There is no date for when boats must be removed from Lake Tahoe, said Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Spokesman Dennis Oliver.

The Coast Guard does not keep a full accounting of how many boats have capsized on the lake, Kinstrey said, because officers usually respond to situations where human life is in danger.

Various salvage companies around the lake responded to the calls of sunken vessels. Sierra Boat Company towed four boats, said General Manager Pat Bagan.

He said that some of the boats sunk because their buoys were too close to the shoreline and fell victim to low water levels and high waves.

"People really need to get their boats off the lake by Sept. 15," he said. "Because the weather was nice they all left Labor Day, and Mother Nature just doesn't play that way."

Numerous phone calls to Vessel Assist, which towed at least one boat from the water, High Sierra Marine, North Tahoe Marine and Tahoe Keys Marina went unreturned.