We're sinking!

We're sinking! Cass Lake, MN

Cass Lake, MN

Dad woke me with a phone call in the morning, wondering when we were going fishing. I hauled myself out of bed and found Tom brewing coffee in the kitchen, and the view of a fairly peaceful lake out the window. By the time we pulled the boat out of the harbor, mom and dad were just arriving at the fishing spot in Allen's Bay. We went out to meet them.

We said hello and got our lines ready to drop in the water, when mom and dad started scrambling around their boat. They shouted that they were taking on water, and mom gestured to show 2-3 inches of water had filled the bottom of their boat. We could see the water being pumped out with the bilge pump in the back, and after a few more tense minutes, Dad said it looked like his plug had fallen out. This wasn't good. He started his engine and moved his boat as quickly as he could toward the nearest boat docks at Dick's Resort. We followed close behind...nervously watching their boat move toward shore, still riding very low in the water.

At Dick's, Dad was able to get an old boat plug, but unfortunately, it didn't fit. By then he had figured out that the water got "sucked" out of the boat while he was moving, and started refilling when he sat still. So he figured if he kept moving, he could make it back to the other side of the lake, back to his resort. Not wanting to see my parents head across the lake with a hole in their vessel, I made Tom follow behind them. It wasn't really necessary, I'll admit, but it made me feel better. Dad remembered there was a marina and boat shop just down the shore from their resort, so he pulled in there and bought a couple of new boat plugs. Since we were there, he let Tom help put it in tight, and they were back in business! Whew!

So...an hour later than we expected, we finally got around to some serious fishing. The two of us only caught 4 perch by the time all was said and done, but we always enjoy those "just the two of us" moments.

In the afternoon, Tom and Jared went for bike rides. Jared rode around Pike Bay and Cass Lake, and Tom met him part way home. The girls and I went over to Mom's cabin and played some Shanghai. We then had Mom and Dad over for dinner before finishing our card game and then going for a late ice cream cone at our lodge.