Mark42
Fleet Admiral
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2003
- Messages
- 9,334
Me: I broke down on the water and need help.<br />911: Are you in a car?<br />Me: If I was in a car I'd be in real trouble. I'm in a boat. Can you put me through to the marine police?<br />911: Ok, please hold....<br />911: This is the coast guard. Where are you?<br />Me: Im on Greenwood Lake, the New York state end on the west side.<br />911: Do you know what the nearest street is?<br />Me: Hold on, I'll ask somebody... (yelling to the guy in a lounge chair sitting in his front yard about 30 feet away) Hello! Hey buddy, what is the house address? <br />Guy in chair: Its 324.<br />Me: 324 What?<br />Guy in chair: 324 (something street)... <br />Me: Thanks!<br />Me: (to Coast Guard) I'm near 324 something street.<br />911: Ok, we'll send someone out. What kind of boat is it?<br />Me: Old blue and white runabout. They gonna tow me in?<br />911: Probably. Give me your phone number in case I need to reach you.<br />Me: Ok my cell number is xxxxxxxxx....<br />911: Ok, I'll send them out.<br /><br />twenty minutes later and still no help, so I try to start the motor and it runs good, no longer overheating. So we take off and head back to the marina at 5 mph. Then we see the Coast Guard come roaring down the lake. I wave to them. They wave back and keep going. I keep waving and sound horn, they come back to check me out. Really great bunch of guys. I thought they would be po'd that we left, but just wanted to know if we were OK and what was the matter. I explained we overheated and were adrift. Wind almost blew us into the shore. It is just bolders and very deep water even though we were only 20 feet from shore.<br /><br />They said its common to overheat with all the grass and they follow us back to the marina with the lights going. <br /><br />I felt rather dumb that the boat started and ran OK after overheating and calling 911 to have the Coast Guard save us. Especially after having to ask a guy on shore what the street address was there. 
