[Oblio13]

Here’s what I can piece together; if anyone has corrections or more information, please add them:

On Saturday evening, 9 Nov, Jim and Carmel Hanson were leaving Bear Island and heading for Shep Brown’s.

Hal Lyon had been muzzle-loader deer hunting on Meredith neck. He parked his car at Shep Brown’s and headed for Bear Island.

Around 6 p.m., just north of the “no wake” zone between Bear and Pine and closer to the latter, they collided. Both boaters knew that part of the lake very well. They were probably hugging Pine to cut the tip of the no-wake “triangle”.

Sunset was about 4:30. The moon was up in the east, three-quarters full. Passing clouds. 6 mph wind from south/southeast. Temp just below freezing.

Jim and Carmel’s Sea Ray bowrider stayed afloat. Carmel suffered head injuries but was able to call 911. They got her to Shep Browns and an ambulance took her to Lakes Region.

She never saw the other boat and thought that they had run aground.

It was clear from the damage to the Sea Ray, though, that there had been a collision with a second boat, and that the second boat was blue.

Hal’s car was at Shep Brown’s, but his old blue Penn Yan was not on his dock at Bear. He wasn’t answering his phone.

The Penn Yan was old enough to not have floatation, so the Marine Patrol figured it was on the bottom. A towed side scan sonar was brought in and located it in 48 feet of water just east of Pine Island (off that red double-bay boathouse). Divers found Hal still in it.

I think Jim and Hal were both killed instantly by trauma. Looks like Carmel will recover.

I’ve never met Carmel. I didn’t know Jim well. But I knew Hal well. He was a kind and educated man who loved the outdoors. I’m still waking up mornings and wondering if I just had a bad dream, but I’m going to miss him when it sinks in.