Boats blown ashore or sink after high winds whip Lake Tahoe

Several West Shore boats were either blown ashore or sunk when heavy weekend winds pounded Lake Tahoe.

According to United States Coast Guard Petty Officer Rod Slade, three boats were sunken and four came to rest on the lake's rocky shore. Slade said the strong northeast winds were consistent throughout the night on Saturday and continued into the next day.

Erik and Becky Arnold and Wendy Poore worked for most of Sunday to save their boat, which had been washed onto the rocks.

"We were out there from morning till dark," Arnold said, adding that the pair had help from about 20 West Shore residents. "It was an amazing effort by everybody."

Arnold said he believed his boat's buoy line had broke, allowing the vessel to drift into the rocks. Compared to some other boats - including those on the lake's bottom - Arnold and Poore's boat survived the winds and choppy water with manageable damage.

"Overall it fared pretty well," Arnold said of the Tahoe 28 vessel. "There's damage, but it should be repairable. We plan to sail it next summer."

Arnold and Poore's salvage process involved removing the mast, which hung over Highway 89, and repositioning the boat until it could be moved.

"We still have to pull it off the rocks, but it's in a better position," Arnold said, adding that he brought a trailer up from Sacramento in order to transport the boat.

According to Slade, the U. S. Coast Guard notifies boat owners whose property has been damaged by storms, but it is the individual's responsibility to recover the property.

The Lake Tahoe Coast Guard Station also received a report of a sinking boat on Oct. 24, according to Petty Officer Brian Rhodes.

"Someone came over the radio and said, 'Mayday, Mayday, we're going down, 666, Lake Tahoe,' and that was followed by laughter," Rhodes said.

The distress call came in at 5:35 p.m. and was deemed an "uncorrelated Mayday" about three hours later, according to Rhodes.

The search was suspended pending further development.