Great to see you back on the Tube, Bowzer. Loved the footage of the old intake towers. I seem to recall seeing them in one of your earlier videos. To bad about White Widow. Still, a really great piece.
Post Dispatch interview: RE: White Widow at Chain of Rocks t. LOUIS - Michael Weber and his girlfriend were embarking on the sailing trip of a lifetime, when - like many a sailor before them - the mighty Mississippi River left them high and dry just north of downtown St. Louis. Weber, 63, a retired Marine and former businessman from southwest Michigan, was taking his 44-foot sailboat, the “White Widow,” down the river for what was supposed to be a yearlong trip to the Florida Keys and Bahamas. “I was just chasing the dream in my retirement,” Weber said. “I’d been preparing for this trip for two years.”But Weber’s dream was at least temporarily dashed when on the afternoon of Oct. 5 his Hunter 44 DS sailboat became firmly stuck on a 10-foot Chain of Rocks river dam. And nearly three weeks later, it’s still there. To the wonder of many locals, Weber’s boat has remained marooned in the middle of the Big Muddy just south of the Chain of Rocks Bridge while his insurance companies haggle over what it will take to remove the vessel from the treacherous stretch.“It’s a beautiful boat,” Weber said this week. “I just hope I get it back soon.” Trip from HellThe back of the sailboat lists its home port as Hell, Michigan. “That’s a real town, but I actually live a little bit out from Hell,” Weber said. “But that sounded better on the boat, and living in Michigan in the winter is a kind of hell. I was ready for some southern exposure.”Weber said he’s been boating and sailing most of his life but has stayed on the open waters of Lake Michigan and the ocean. “I’m not a river boat guy,” Weber said. “But we figured out going down the Mississippi was a convenient way to get to the ocean and the Florida Keys quicker.” Weber and his girlfriend left Sept. 28 from Chicago. The trip began as relaxingly as they had imagined, short of a run-in with five jumping carp that flopped into the boat’s dinghy near Peoria, Weber said. But the couple really ran into trouble when Weber missed an exit sign for a canal that allows boaters to navigate around the river’s rough terrain and concrete dams at the Chain of Rocks.“I thought it was a sign for a turn into a marina or something like that,” Weber said. Weber continued on and said he spotted no warning signs or buoys before the dam and rocky area.“By the time I got up to the rocks, the current was very strong, and it’s a sailboat, so I only have a 56-horsepower diesel engine,” he said. “So I crammed on the reverse, but it can’t do much.” The boat was swept up and pushed sideways by the current.“One thing I know is you don’t want to go down a river sideways,” Weber said. “So I knew we were in trouble. I coasted and ended up stuck there with no way of getting off.”Weber was hesitant to leave his boat but called for a rescue from the St. Louis Fire Department Water Rescue and U.S. Coast Guard. A helicopter from TV news station KTVI (Channel 2) captured their escape from the White Widow. “I looked up and was like, ‘Really? The news helicopter?’” Weber said. “I knew then people are going to wonder what idiot put that boat there. It’s humbling and embarrassing, but, you know, I made a mistake and I’m owning up to it.”No movementWeber said it’s going to take a barge, a crane and a tugboat to free his beloved sailboat. A crew of towboats attempted to remove the boat right after Weber got stuck, but it became clear a crane was needed to lift the boat off the dam. A barge with a crane arrived on Oct. 18 from Florida to finish the job, but Weber’s insurance carrier, Progressive, pulled the plug on the operation. “They got the maritime lawyers involved, and there were concerns about their liability,” Weber said. Weber said he watched from land when the companies called off the attempt to get the boat, while onlookers took drone footage of the vessel and wondered about who could have gotten the boat stuck like that. “I didn’t tell them it was my boat,” Weber said laughing. “I wanted to stay incognito.” Now though, Weber is worried that the longer the boat remains stuck, the more damage the $130,000 vessel might take. “I know at least we have a lovely pot of au gratin potatoes that’s now splattered on the floor, so I’m sure it’s not smelling great,” he said. “Besides that, I don’t see any major damage from the exterior.” Weber, who is back home in Michigan, said most of his possessions, including nearly all his clothes and his guitars, remain in the boat. “I could really use a guitar right now with all this going on,” he said. “I'm not a millionaire. This was where I am planning to live for the next year, and basically everything I have is in there.” Weber is hoping a third attempt to free the White Widow will happen in the next week, and he is optimistic it might still run. Once it's unstuck, repaired and cleansed of potatoes au gratin, Weber plans to continue his voyage to the Bahamas. “I really put the last couple years of my life into this,” he said. “I’m not giving up on the dream yet.”
It's a shame that this happened. I wonder if he paid any attention to the river navigation charts and if he was using a GPS chartplotter. If he had done that basic pre-trip scouting of the river and it's hazards of this sort, he would not have been in this situation. I hope he can get the boat salvaged. It really seems to be a nice boat.
@@michaelgarrity6090 The boat has sunk. He admits he made a mistake and he misread the turn off sign for the canal/locks that go around. He thought it was a marina sign. We all make mistakes; this one was more costly than most though. OBVIOUSLY, GPS charting was not in use or it would have been flashing red and making noises. :)
This is the best footage I have seen of this wreck. Better than the local news channels. We are starting a channel with videos of our adventures and are planning a boat trip past the Chain of Rocks this weekend (using the lock). Could we use clips from your videos? We will credit your channel and put a link in the description back to your original video.
Grat vid Bowzer. I am surprised that her hull has not been torn up by the rocks already. The tow/salvage company says they can not get in there to recover it either, so it is forked as far as the river goes. she might come off the rocks Monday or tues with all the rain we are expecting. So we need to keep an eye open down stream for her.
Recovery must be about the cost and not the absolute challenge itself. A modern river tug could easily beat the current and probably have enough reserve power to pull the Window free. I understand waiting for nature to bring up the river and dislodge it would be the most cost effective method.
What are the circumstances of this boat? Did it come loose from the dock or anchorage? Was it unattended as it got stuck here? I don’t know how anyone would miss the giant sign that says all boats to the left?
Was this done on purpose? Didnt look at charts, didnt watch his GPS, didnt see the huge double size billboard warning to go left down the canal, didnt throw out an anchor when his engine couldnt make progress in the current?
Old water intake towers for St. Louis City story here. www.route66news.com/2021/02/21/a-rare-glimpse-inside-one-of-the-water-intake-towers-near-the-old-chain-of-rocks-bridge/
there was a similar object (an old barge) hung up in the shallows above horseshoe falls back in the 50s and I was wondering if anyone knows whatever became of it ??
always enjoy when you post. appreciate the effort. as a sailor, I can empathize but thats a total brain fart right there. Somebody that had no business on a boat if you "miss" the chain canal. Absence of a mast tells me that that the rig was shipped south with the idea being when they got to a boatyard somewhere on the gulf coast, theyd rerig and make for the Bahamas. Its probably a good thing the river got them first.
I came very close to making that same error in my newly purchased 44’ houseboat. Leaving from St Charles , just upstream from there on the Missouri River with no chart plotter , just a chart , I nearly missed the canal that circumnavigates the chain of rocks.
are there not charts for the river? especially for the mighty Mississippi (where many many boats have sunk), that would show all captains the obstructions hazards and by-passes?
Too bad about the boat. But I was more interested in those two little buildings in the river. Driven past them thousands of times and never saw them up close other than a brief news clip once.
They say this boat went bye bye ,lol broke up and sunk or floated away,would have been a site seeing the boaters getting away from this mess ,did they bail upstream, its a mystery 😅
I have locked down this stretch twice in our 40 SeaRay heading to tarpon springs FL for the winter. I will say this probably wouldn't have happened a couple more days into their trip Blow boaters are not familiar with river travel and they obviously paid the price. Capt should have caught it but wife probably at the helm.
It's easy to sympathize with the owner of the White Widow. I could see myself making the same mistake. I'm always missing turn offs on the highway. The sound of the water cascading over the rocks is hypnotic and immensely soothing.
in tampa and st pete we have off ramps that go very high and then drop off [ not finished yet] would you take that nroute.. or the next exit.. that boat most likely had a chart plotter, its just bad boating skill's. a costly learning curve
A few remarks about the Post Dispatch interview posted by EagleWatcher earlier 1) Weber said he’s been boating and sailing most of his life but has stayed on the open waters of Lake Michigan and the ocean. “I’m not a river boat guy,” Weber said. = this is preposterous ! The anchor is still on the bow, he didn't even try to slow the boat (or stop it) by lowering the anchor and get to a halt. This is basic procedure for any sailor (and sailboat) … a rookie mistake ! 2) Weber missed an exit sign for a canal that allows boaters to navigate around the river’s rough terrain and concrete dams at the Chain of Rocks.“I thought it was a sign for a turn into a marina or something like that,” Weber said.: In other words Weber never studied a chart of the river, nor did he follow his course on a chart … maybe he felt that the river is just like a road : if you miss a sign you'll get off the next exit. Lack of sign should mean being more vigilant not relaxed ! Another 101 mistake that should make you fail any exam in the capacity of handling a boat.
![OhGeesy x Lefty Gunplay - What It Iz [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L0yzW9t2ixk/mqdefault.jpg)
Glad you made it out there. After the storm last night the river took the boat and it’s currently “missing”
I did not know that thanks!
Great to see you back on the Tube, Bowzer. Loved the footage of the old intake towers. I seem to recall seeing them in one of your earlier videos. To bad about White Widow. Still, a really great piece.
Thank you!
Glad you are still out and about and posting.
Thanks!
One of your best! Always enjoy the channel, and I was hoping you'd get a close up of this one.
Thanks Bowser!
Thanks!
Great Footage , Thanks for Sharing, Happy to see you Posting Again, God Bless
Thanks, you too!
Post Dispatch interview: RE: White Widow at Chain of Rocks t. LOUIS - Michael Weber and his girlfriend were embarking on the sailing trip of a lifetime, when - like many a sailor before them - the mighty Mississippi River left them high and dry just north of downtown St. Louis.
Weber, 63, a retired Marine and former businessman from southwest Michigan, was taking his 44-foot sailboat, the “White Widow,” down the river for what was supposed to be a yearlong trip to the Florida Keys and Bahamas. “I was just chasing the dream in my retirement,” Weber said. “I’d been preparing for this trip for two years.”But Weber’s dream was at least temporarily dashed when on the afternoon of Oct. 5 his Hunter 44 DS sailboat became firmly stuck on a 10-foot Chain of Rocks river dam. And nearly three weeks later, it’s still there. To the wonder of many locals, Weber’s boat has remained marooned in the middle of the Big Muddy just south of the Chain of Rocks Bridge while his insurance companies haggle over what it will take to remove the vessel from the treacherous stretch.“It’s a beautiful boat,” Weber said this week. “I just hope I get it back soon.” Trip from HellThe back of the sailboat lists its home port as Hell, Michigan. “That’s a real town, but I actually live a little bit out from Hell,” Weber said. “But that sounded better on the boat, and living in Michigan in the winter is a kind of hell. I was ready for some southern exposure.”Weber said he’s been boating and sailing most of his life but has stayed on the open waters of Lake Michigan and the ocean. “I’m not a river boat guy,” Weber said. “But we figured out going down the Mississippi was a convenient way to get to the ocean and the Florida Keys quicker.” Weber and his girlfriend left Sept. 28 from Chicago. The trip began as relaxingly as they had imagined, short of a run-in with five jumping carp that flopped into the boat’s dinghy near Peoria, Weber said. But the couple really ran into trouble when Weber missed an exit sign for a canal that allows boaters to navigate around the river’s rough terrain and concrete dams at the Chain of Rocks.“I thought it was a sign for a turn into a marina or something like that,” Weber said. Weber continued on and said he spotted no warning signs or buoys before the dam and rocky area.“By the time I got up to the rocks, the current was very strong, and it’s a sailboat, so I only have a 56-horsepower diesel engine,” he said. “So I crammed on the reverse, but it can’t do much.” The boat was swept up and pushed sideways by the current.“One thing I know is you don’t want to go down a river sideways,” Weber said. “So I knew we were in trouble. I coasted and ended up stuck there with no way of getting off.”Weber was hesitant to leave his boat but called for a rescue from the St. Louis Fire Department Water Rescue and U.S. Coast Guard. A helicopter from TV news station KTVI (Channel 2) captured their escape from the White Widow. “I looked up and was like, ‘Really? The news helicopter?’” Weber said. “I knew then people are going to wonder what idiot put that boat there. It’s humbling and embarrassing, but, you know, I made a mistake and I’m owning up to it.”No movementWeber said it’s going to take a barge, a crane and a tugboat to free his beloved sailboat. A crew of towboats attempted to remove the boat right after Weber got stuck, but it became clear a crane was needed to lift the boat off the dam. A barge with a crane arrived on Oct. 18 from Florida to finish the job, but Weber’s insurance carrier, Progressive, pulled the plug on the operation. “They got the maritime lawyers involved, and there were concerns about their liability,” Weber said. Weber said he watched from land when the companies called off the attempt to get the boat, while onlookers took drone footage of the vessel and wondered about who could have gotten the boat stuck like that. “I didn’t tell them it was my boat,” Weber said laughing. “I wanted to stay incognito.” Now though, Weber is worried that the longer the boat remains stuck, the more damage the $130,000 vessel might take. “I know at least we have a lovely pot of au gratin potatoes that’s now splattered on the floor, so I’m sure it’s not smelling great,” he said. “Besides that, I don’t see any major damage from the exterior.” Weber, who is back home in Michigan, said most of his possessions, including nearly all his clothes and his guitars, remain in the boat. “I could really use a guitar right now with all this going on,” he said. “I'm not a millionaire. This was where I am planning to live for the next year, and basically everything I have is in there.” Weber is hoping a third attempt to free the White Widow will happen in the next week, and he is optimistic it might still run. Once it's unstuck, repaired and cleansed of potatoes au gratin, Weber plans to continue his voyage to the Bahamas. “I really put the last couple years of my life into this,” he said. “I’m not giving up on the dream yet.”
Take the insurance money and buy a boat closer to the Bahamas! ;)
It's a shame that this happened. I wonder if he paid any attention to the river navigation charts and if he was using a GPS chartplotter. If he had done that basic pre-trip scouting of the river and it's hazards of this sort, he would not have been in this situation. I hope he can get the boat salvaged. It really seems to be a nice boat.
@@michaelgarrity6090 The boat has sunk. He admits he made a mistake and he misread the turn off sign for the canal/locks that go around. He thought it was a marina sign.
We all make mistakes; this one was more costly than most though.
OBVIOUSLY, GPS charting was not in use or it would have been flashing red and making noises. :)
My wife and I sail on the same Hunter DS. We love our boat and we especially feel your pain. Wishing you a successful rescue.
They keep calling it a sailboat. I've never seen a sailboat that looked like that. And where is the mast?
I am just now seeing this. A wonderful drone video!
I have been waiting for you to get out there, nice footage. Hope all is well, keep up the great work.
Hope you guys are well too! Took me forever to get out here for this been so busy lately Thanks!
This is the best footage I have seen of this wreck. Better than the local news channels. We are starting a channel with videos of our adventures and are planning a boat trip past the Chain of Rocks this weekend (using the lock). Could we use clips from your videos? We will credit your channel and put a link in the description back to your original video.
Yes and thank you!
@@BowzerTowboats Thanks
@@BowzerTowboats Thanks
Grat vid Bowzer. I am surprised that her hull has not been torn up by the rocks already. The tow/salvage company says they can not get in there to recover it either, so it is forked as far as the river goes. she might come off the rocks Monday or tues with all the rain we are expecting. So we need to keep an eye open down stream for her.
I did not see any holes but you never know she is fiberglass and might sink as soon as she breaks free. Thanks!
Recovery must be about the cost and not the absolute challenge itself. A modern river tug could easily beat the current and probably have enough reserve power to pull the Window free. I understand waiting for nature to bring up the river and dislodge it would be the most cost effective method.
What are the circumstances of this boat? Did it come loose from the dock or anchorage? Was it unattended as it got stuck here? I don’t know how anyone would miss the giant sign that says all boats to the left?
Well this guy missed it lol occupied 2 times and were rescued. fox2now.com/news/missouri/boaters-rescued-after-vessel-stuck-on-chain-of-rocks/
Very nice footage! Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it
Was this done on purpose? Didnt look at charts, didnt watch his GPS, didnt see the huge double size billboard warning to go left down the canal, didnt throw out an anchor when his engine couldnt make progress in the current?
I don't know the logistics of whether an anchor would work in that situation
As a follow-up question;
Do you know if they did a sonar scan to find her on the bottom in a hole?
No
wow, those buildings are so odd, would love too go inside and see what it is.... so many questions
Old water intake towers for St. Louis City story here. www.route66news.com/2021/02/21/a-rare-glimpse-inside-one-of-the-water-intake-towers-near-the-old-chain-of-rocks-bridge/
Stunning photography!!
there was a similar object (an old barge) hung up in the shallows above horseshoe falls back in the 50s and I was wondering if anyone knows whatever became of it ??
wow! that poor boat. almost 3 weeks now and the river so low.
Hi Judy! Yes the owner has to be sick just about 150k sitting there.
always enjoy when you post. appreciate the effort. as a sailor, I can empathize but thats a total brain fart right there. Somebody that had no business on a boat if you "miss" the chain canal. Absence of a mast tells me that that the rig was shipped south with the idea being when they got to a boatyard somewhere on the gulf coast, theyd rerig and make for the Bahamas. Its probably a good thing the river got them first.
Yep probably a snowbird from the Chicago area headed south for winter now his migration has been spoiled.
@@BowzerTowboats excellent videography, my friend. Keep up the good work. Very enjoyable
@@BowzerTowboats Michigan. LOL
I'm sure at some point, his girlfriend asked, "Do you have enough experience to do this?" and he said something like, "How hard could it be?"
Bowser, how can I contact you?
I came very close to making that same error in my newly purchased 44’ houseboat. Leaving from St Charles , just upstream from there on the Missouri River with no chart plotter , just a chart , I nearly missed the canal that circumnavigates the chain of rocks.
Well I'm glad you avoided it it doesn't look fun
are there not charts for the river? especially for the mighty Mississippi (where many many boats have sunk), that would show all captains the obstructions hazards and by-passes?
www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Portals/48/docs/Nav/NavigationCharts/UMR/CHART_126.pdf
awesome video, great work
Thanks for the visit
@3:23 What are those houses in the water?
Please keep us updated. Thanks.
She's gone broke free a couple of days ago during thunderstorms and sunk.
@@BowzerTowboats no kidding. Thanks for the update.
great flight of a sad day . glad the people got off safely !!! lost my dji in the ocean hahaha enjoy the rest of the night
Glad to see they put their bumpers out!
Gosh... That looks EXPENSIVE.
Here's hoping everyone made out ok.
Browser great video, interesting.
Glad you enjoyed it
I like how the dingy is jammed underneath that poor boat.
I think the dinghy can be saved. The boat, .........
What kind of ais do you use and how do I get one please my name is Brad Thank You
GOOGLE IT BRAD
Kind of like this one works with a usb and antenna tuned to 161.975 MHz. Thanks!
digitalyachtamerica.com/product/ais100-receiver-usb/
I got this recommended because I've looked up the intake towers multiple times lol
What is the name of the boat?
White Widow out Michigan.
@@ColliePixels thanks I was trying to find out if they have a utube channel.
it all started with a 3 hour tour “a three hour tour “
so did they ever find it
That's what I was wondering
Too bad about the boat. But I was more interested in those two little buildings in the river. Driven past them thousands of times and never saw them up close other than a brief news clip once.
They say this boat went bye bye ,lol broke up and sunk or floated away,would have been a site seeing the boaters getting away from this mess ,did they bail upstream, its a mystery 😅
thats a shame
Mississippi River; hold my beer 😮
I have locked down this stretch twice in our 40 SeaRay heading to tarpon springs FL for the winter. I will say this probably wouldn't have happened a couple more days into their trip Blow boaters are not familiar with river travel and they obviously paid the price. Capt should have caught it but wife probably at the helm.
It's easy to sympathize with the owner of the White Widow. I could see myself making the same mistake. I'm always missing turn offs on the highway. The sound of the water cascading over the rocks is hypnotic and immensely soothing.
in tampa and st pete we have off ramps that go very high and then drop off [ not finished yet] would you take that nroute.. or the next exit.. that boat most likely had a chart plotter, its just bad boating skill's. a costly learning curve
wow
A few remarks about the Post Dispatch interview posted by EagleWatcher earlier
1) Weber said he’s been boating and sailing most of his life but has stayed on the open waters of Lake Michigan and the ocean. “I’m not a river boat guy,” Weber said. = this is preposterous ! The anchor is still on the bow, he didn't even try to slow the boat (or stop it) by lowering the anchor and get to a halt. This is basic procedure for any sailor (and sailboat) … a rookie mistake !
2) Weber missed an exit sign for a canal that allows boaters to navigate around the river’s rough terrain and concrete dams at the Chain of Rocks.“I thought it was a sign for a turn into a marina or something like that,” Weber said.: In other words Weber never studied a chart of the river, nor did he follow his course on a chart … maybe he felt that the river is just like a road : if you miss a sign you'll get off the next exit. Lack of sign should mean being more vigilant not relaxed ! Another 101 mistake that should make you fail any exam in the capacity of handling a boat.
Let the boat sink a easy way to take care of it!!!!!!!!😁😁😁😁😁😁😊😊😊😊😌😌😌
THIS IS JUSTIN KRESIN I CALL DIBS
pricy mess up
OK!... 70
What a shame. lol
No way to pull the boat free against the flow of water. This boat belongs to a runaway-AGW-denying Republican so ha, haa, haaaaa!!!
Brought it on themselves.