THE FLOOD GATES ARE OPEN

Quote :

"Rocky Mount, N.C. — A pontoon boat stuck on the edge of a Tar River Reservoir dam will take a 25-foot plunge Monday, ending its run as a sightseeing attraction for five days. City officials believe the boat came untied from a dock about a mile upstream, floated down the river and then got stuck on the dam Wednesday. Since then, spectators have streamed by to look at the vessel, perched on the edge of a waterfall, rocking as water rushes over it. "It's odd seeing it sitting there. It's just not moving; it's not going anywhere," spectator Opal Medlin said. "It's exciting really to see something like that," Julian Peace, another spectator, said. Some people took pictures, and they all speculated about how the boat got there and how it's kept hanging on. "It's amazing that it hasn't gone over before now," spectator Greg Griffin said. Meanwhile, Rocky Mount officials, the boat's owner and an insurance company wondered what to do with the boat. The owner was out of town, and the city decided it was too dangerous to send a crew to pull in the vessel. "What you have is private property that is on public property," said Wayne Hollowell, the city's director of Water Resources. On Friday, though, the insurance company declared the boat a total loss, clearing the way for a new option: Open the flood gates. "Monday morning, with written permission from the owner, we'll drop the dam, and the boat will come off the dam," Hollowell said. The boat's show will end with a 25-foot plunge onto rocks. Ultimately, officials said, it's the safest end. Emergency crews will be on hand Monday to ensure safety and to salvage the boat, or pieces of it. City officials said they'll closely monitor water levels before opening the dam."

3/6/2009 10:58:11 PM

this shit isn't newsworthy

3/6/2009 10:59:37 PM

pontoon boats=the poor mans yacht

3/6/2009 10:59:40 PM

It is a goal of mine in life to own a pontoon boat.

I am also gonna get a dome tent that will fit on it for camping.

3/6/2009 11:01:06 PM

STAY HOME.

3/6/2009 11:06:48 PM

^^ agree with that first sentence

3/7/2009 12:09:58 AM

at first i read this as poontang boat


that is all

3/7/2009 12:11:44 AM

Kinda cool it's teetering without knowing why or how

maybe god wanted it there to teach us all something important

maybe today we are all pontoon boats

3/7/2009 12:15:53 AM

^^ hahaha, gg

3/7/2009 12:22:54 AM

^^

"but God, where was your pontoon boat during the hard times in my life?"

"my child, it is because I am the pontoon boat."

3/7/2009 12:26:39 AM

Quote :

"Rocky Mount, N.C. — A pontoon boat that had been stuck on a dam for five days survived a 25-foot plunge into the Tar River Monday afternoon. A crowd of about two dozen spectators gathered, and emergency crews stood by to ensure safety and watch for environmental or flooding hazards. "I came to see that boat get launched," spectator Daniel Davis said. Then a horn sounded, and city workers opened the floodgates around 2 p.m. A rush of current sent the boat sailing 25 feet down to the rocky water. The boat bounced on the water once and stayed upright. Firefighters downstream in rescue boats pulled the vessel back to shore. The boat had been stuck on the dam since last Wednesday, when it broke loose from its mooring and floated about a mile to the dam. For five days, it attracted spectators and photographers. The boat's owner, who was out of town, faxed written permission for the City of Rocky Mount to push the vessel over the edge late last week. The boat owner's insurance company declared the vessel a total loss and agreed to repay the city for the cost of Monday's operation. The boat's plight attracted fans who hoped for the vessel's survival – including Michael Sprinkle, from Nash County. On Sunday night, he swam to the edge of the dam, tied a rope to the boat and fastened the other end of the rope to a city maintenance wall. Sprinkle said he was trying to save the boat and spare the owner and city the cost of cleanup – and maybe if the owner didn't want the boat anymore, pick up a boat at the cost of rescuing it. "I imagine I did it the redneck, wrong way, but I tried," he said. City officials managed to untie the rope before opening the floodgates. Rocky Mount Police cited Sprinkle for trespassing Monday, nothing that he passed several "No Trespassing" signs to reach the boat. The charge carries a $50 fine and $120 in court costs. Wayne Hollowell, Rocky Mount's director of Water Resources, said Sprinkle is lucky that he wasn't pulled over the dam. That hazard is why the city didn't try to pull the boat off the dam, Hollowell said. "The element of one of our employees getting hurt made that far removed from good judgment," Hollowell said. Sprinkle said that swimming out to the boat ended up being more dangerous than he expected. "It was a very strong current, and it was very dangerous," he said. "I understand that, and I shouldn't have done that. But I was trying to save it for the owner.""

3/10/2009 12:47:37 AM

I have been by that dam, wearing a City hardhat no less.

Almost obligatory:

3/10/2009 1:10:12 AM

ahaha

I'm from Rocky Mwnt

3/10/2009 1:12:33 AM

I hope he had his swim trunks and his flipy flopies

3/10/2009 3:31:52 AM

Quote :

"It is a goal of mine in life to own a pontoon boat. I am also gonna get a dome tent that will fit on it for camping. "

Thx to the old school maritime salvage laws you probably could have had that one with a little effort.

Link to vid of it going over the falls:
http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/4700651/

That dam is where I used to take my girlfriends late at night to like hold hands and stuff during high school.

[Edited on March 10, 2009 at 3:49 AM. Reason : l]

3/10/2009 3:47:41 AM

Quote :

"Sprinkle said he was trying to save the boat and spare the owner and city the cost of cleanup – and maybe if the owner didn't want the boat anymore, pick up a boat at the cost of rescuing it. "I imagine I did it the redneck, wrong way, but I tried," he said. City officials managed to untie the rope before opening the floodgates. Rocky Mount Police cited Sprinkle for trespassing Monday, nothing that he passed several "No Trespassing" signs to reach the boat. The charge carries a $50 fine and $120 in court costs."

So some dude just swims out there and snags a rope to it no problem. Better planning and this could have been a huge redneck win.

3/10/2009 4:49:01 AM

my parents could see this from their dock


quite humorous

3/10/2009 7:21:24 AM

PWNTOON Boat

3/10/2009 9:06:17 AM

Quote :

"Almost obligatory:"

if i had the abilities, i'd embed "pontoon boat" by sunny ledfurd.

3/10/2009 9:09:05 AM

Dam!

3/10/2009 9:35:34 AM

c'mon now

3/10/2009 9:40:23 AM

^ Im really suprised they didnt do that...

3/10/2009 9:44:08 AM

BOATZ DO YOU LIKE BOATZ?

4/16/2009 1:25:40 AM

BIGCEMENTPONTOONBOAT

4/16/2009 1:38:12 AM

BIGCEMENTPONTOONBOAT

4/16/2009 1:42:06 AM

Quote :

"^ Im really suprised they didnt do that..."

are you?

4/16/2009 2:19:45 AM

"I imagine I did it the redneck, wrong way, but I tried,"

4/16/2009 7:10:13 PM

http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/4700651/

aahahahhaa redneck dude interview

failboat

classic

5/11/2009 11:49:33 PM

Quote :

"I imagine I did it the redneck, wrong way, but I tried"

5/12/2009 12:17:04 AM

Quote :

""It's exciting really to see something like that," Julian Peace, another spectator, said."

dagreenone

5/12/2009 2:30:34 PM

sounds like the guy had really good insurance. they didnt even blink when it was time to pay up

5/12/2009 2:38:18 PM

wouldn't have been cheaper for them to send in a helo after it than buy him a new boat?

5/12/2009 2:47:19 PM

I know that they're generally reserved for the super wealthy, but how much does a pontoon boat usually run?

5/12/2009 2:53:06 PM

that drop was very anti-climatic

[Edited on May 12, 2009 at 3:11 PM. Reason : i fucked a mermaid]

5/12/2009 3:10:54 PM

Quote :

"I know that they're generally reserved for the super wealthy, "

>.<

5/12/2009 3:13:50 PM