LAKE MENDOTA (WKOW) -- Dane County's lawmen on the lake faced a busy Memorial Day, as a number of boaters found themselves stranded on Lake Mendota.27 News caught three rescues on camera Monday, including one man whose sail boat flipped in the wind near Warner Beach and two other groups who were towed to Marshall Park after getting stuck out on the lake.One sheriff's office boat patrol team responded to those issues and more, including multiple overturned sailboats and other mechanical troubles as people made their first trips out for the season.
James Ament's boat was towed to Marshall Park. He says his group was out for about an hour when his engines stopped working, so they had to call for help that came fast.
"For the first time this summer, we were going to go for a boat ride and we got the boat off the trailer. Only one engine would start, but we said let's take a ride with one engine, so we went out and we heard this growling noise and apparently a gear or something in that engine broke and the other two engines wouldn't start at all," Ament says.
Sgt. Tom Sankey says it's best to get your boat checked out before you hit the water and be prepared for the ride.
"Make sure everything's mechanically sound," Sankey tells 27 News. "Make sure your life preservers are all good to go, make sure your registration is good to go, and anything else that you think you'd need to have your boat functional."
Boaters can expect to see the Dane County Sheriff's Office boat patrol team all summer patrolling the waters, reminding boaters of the basics and helping people in need. Sankey says it's important to keep a safe distance from the boat, so they can do their jobs safely. When their blue lights are flashing, boaters should stay 100 yards away.
For more on this story: http://www.wkow.com/story/35542349/2017/05/29/dane-countys-boat-patrol-spends-memorial-day-rescuing-stranded-boaters