Unlucky boater loses boat on highway

KANABEC COUNTY (KMSP) - Bob Trick of Ogilvie had quite the surprise driving home from the store when he spotted a boat that decided to abandon ship.

Friday morning, Trick and his wife were headed southbound on Highway 47 from Isle, when they passed a large truck heading north. The truck was towing a camper and a boat trailer, but the trailer was empty and a strap was flapping loosely in the wind.

Just moments later, they found out why. They came upon an 18-foot boat lying across the road, as if it had washed up on shore.

“It was hilarious at first then you think about public safety could be really bad,” said Trick. “It’s going to be a high traffic day - look at all the cars coming now."   

Trick and his wife pulled over and called 911.

“What a strange thing to see,” said Trick. “We were up here to relax and go boating... I felt bad for the guy. I was just wondering what he was going to think when he got out of the vehicle ‘hey where'd it go?’”

The Kanabec County Sheriff Brian Smith said the owner had secured the boat with a hook in the front and a strap in the back, but the strap must have broken.

The owner didn't even realize it had fallen off the trailer, until police called him on his cell when he was 20 miles away.

“He thought the deputy was kidding him,” said Smith. “That it was a big joke because he had loaded his boat and was on his way north and that couldn't happen. But it did.”

IN-DEPTH LOOK: Investigators: Hundreds of U.S. motorist deaths attributed to unsecured loads

Last year the FOX 9 Investigators showed how nearly 7,000 items are picked up on Twin Cities roads every year and 440 deaths a year nationwide are attributed to unsecured loads.

Even though no one was hurt in this case, Trick said the owner’s plans to go boating this weekend are probably sunk.

“What a way to ruin your weekend or longer, you know,” said Trick.