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Peter Kovats' sailboat overturned in Lake Michigan for the second time in less than a year.
A sailor and a friend were rescued from the waters of Lake Michigan Wednesday afternoon near Chicago, nearly a year after the same sailor was plucked unconscious from the water when the same boat overturned.
Both episodes ended without substantial injury or death, but now conservation police officers may look into whether Peter Kovats should be fined or billed for his second water rescue in a year.
Kovats and a friend were in the 19-foot sailboat -- Peter Pan -- shortly before 2:30 p.m. when the craft listed, capsized and took on water about a quarter-mile from the Montrose Hook off Wilson Avenue.
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"When we arrived on the scene the two gentlemen were struggling," said David Johnsen with the Chicago Police Department's Marine Unit
Authorities ultimately were able to pull the 62- and 63-year-old men, who were clearly showing signs of fatigue, from the cold water.
"I'm no expert on hypothermia, but these guys were definitely -- you could tell by the condition of their hands and their skin -- they were cold and wet and they were happy to see us," said Johnsen.
Both men were taken in good condition to Weiss Memorial Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital. The boat was towed back to shore.
Last May, Kovats and two other men went out on the lake as part of a birthday celebration. A storm moved in and flipped the boat. Kovats was later found by the Coast Guard, unconscious but in a life preserver.
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any grown man who names his boat peter pan, should have his boat license revoked and his boat smashed to bits with crobars and baseball bats --- this guy is the personification of an idiot --- fine him and bill him for the rescue and impound the boat, until this knuckle head at least takes a remedial course in sail boating ---
I think some people here are just jealous that this guy, despite his age, is still lliving an active life. Most people his age nowadays (I said, MOST) are too lazy to do things other than sitting behind the computer eager to jump on any whining bandwagon they prey upon. You want cheese with that whine?
Am I the only one who noticed a marine officer from Chicago who's job includes rescuing people from lake Michigan said he isn't an expert on hypothermia...... Seems like they should be trained on that.
These guys are in their sixties. It was she second time in less that a year that rescue was needed for one of them. The boat was named after a boy who "never grew up," (Hmmm,) and the word Hook shows up in the name of the place where they got into trouble. (Hmmm) again.
I totally agree with the comments here that the sailor is an idiot and should be forced to pay for his rescue. In fact I think this should become a general principle of law.
Anytime there is a house fire the people should be forced to pay before the fire is put out. Also fireman should respond to any given apartment complex only once a year at most. No person should be allowed to call paramedics for life threatening conditions more than once a year, and should be severely fined if they do. For example any diabetic that goes into severe diabetic shock more than once a year is simply an idiot and is best served by the Darwin principal -- no glucose for them. Also no parent should be allowed to take their kid to the emergency room more than once a year no matter what!
Stupidity should be made illegal and it's the people who automatically think the sailor is an idiot that are the actual idiots. It should be a crime to allow them to post their moronic opinions on MSN. I've already tried to delete most of the comments above but MSN doesn't have a delete stupid comments button.
I think they'd have to change the boater registration laws to do that. Remember that the coast guard makes you register your marine vessel, and you do pay for that; however, you don't pay enough to cover the cost of coast guard rescues, especially multiple times. If the vessel is unseaworthy, the coast guard could make a determination and refuse to allow it to be registered. If it is "pilot error", the coast guard could make the registered owner take a coast guard class. The Great Lakes are dangerous, and if you don't know how to sail, get a powerboat and have two engines so if one breaks down, you have a backup.
I am personally in favor of individuals paying for their own rescues. I don't believe the taxpayers should pay for the rescue of mountain climbers and people who engage in extreme sports. If the rescuers are volunteers, then they should not be charged, but idiots who engage in the same activity while doing nothing to mitigate the dangers should definitely pay for it. I'm think overall that they should make the registration fee higher for the same owner who has been rescued more than once to discourage people who need to be kept off the water.
Bill him for the rescue and require that he get a sailing license or at least take lessons! What would happen if we let any idiot who can buy a car, drive. Or better yet, let any one with functioning reproductive organs, be a parent.... oh yeah.....
This guy should forget about boating and take up SKY DIVING! That way the authorities will just have to scrape him up off the ground ONCE!
Might be a good idea to revoke the boat license until he takes and passes a class on sailing, if nothing else he needs to learn how to save himself when he goes in the water. Most accidents like this are strictly due to ignorance, ignorance is curable but stupid is forever...
the guy is really stubid or really luckey anyway he should stay off the water from now on
"stubid"?????? "Luckey"??????? Really!!!