Lake Emergency? - Drunk Sailboat Stuck @ Sandbar

Click to enlarge. You can read the Fire Chief's motto "We're there when you need us"
and you can see the sailboat off to the left, the police boat to the right.

Update #1 9/1/13 11pm - @ 10 pm Jeffrey Near ‏@nearjeff 40m Tweeted

"Drunk guys decides to jump off his boat and nearly drowns at the beach by my house #RogersPark  #Newsroom #Chicago"

Update #2 9/2/13 1:22 am - Trucker Rob @ Rogers Park Neighborhood News - Facebook posted around 10:30 pm last night

"drunk guy on a sail boat got stuck on a sand bar what a waste of emergency personnel's time"

This morning the sailboat was gone. The middle aged stout woman @ Starbucks on Sheridan said this in reply to hearing the news, "Welcome to Ropa baby!". Shaking her head. Hearing it from her this Rogers Park monicker sounded right.

Update #3 - 9/2/13 8:40 am Jeffrey Near @nearjeff tweeted - "@Chevanston that's it. Thankfully CFD scuba team was on site instantly. They pulled him out and sent him to the hospital."


Please continue reading for more pictures and words

Tonight there was an overwhelming number of emergency vehicles at Pratt and the lake. What isn't commented on often about crime scenes or police searches is the fact that its a great place to hang out. Usually the average person doesn't walk along the lakefront after darkness.

An hour ago at the lake the crowd waited for the rescue teams to return. The ice cream man was making some sales. People were taking pictures. Friends and neighbors were talking. Some like this couple were just taking it all in. A warm muggy summer night. Lightning and clouds to the north.

"Well someone had a good time tonight" The drunk sailboat stuck at the sandbar .

Firetrucks, ambulances, police cars and a fire chief or two were at the beach and Pratt east of Sheridan. Two police boats in the water. A helicopter buzzed by a few times. 

Perhaps this had something to do with the sailboat near the shore. Above you can see that the sailboat is flanked by two police boats. Twitter search and checking Rogers Park Neighborhood News reveals that some drunk boaters crash landed into a sandbar. 

Finally about fifty men and women walked out of the darkness from the Farwell Pier empty handed. The crowd murmured, "Tell us what happened".

The police took down the caution tape. Its a wrap. All the first responders were packing up and moving out one by one. A CBS camera man hurried down Pratt from Sheridan hoping to catch a breaking story. The nearest fireman told him that he didn't miss much. Well that's not true. He missed a funny story.

Too bad the drunk sailors picked such a high profile shoal to hit. Perhaps if they had found a more secluded spot on the lake they would've slept it off. And upon awakening set sail for parts unknown.

Drunk boating is still a serious offense and crime. But one much less likely to have deadly consequences to other parties.