Unoccupied boat leads to search, no rescue

The Lake Rescue Team, affiliated with Madison Fire Department, was called out to Lake Monona to investigate an eerie situation during the midmorning hours Wednesday.

According to a MFD incident report, people fishing and enjoying the unusually warm weather were suspicious when they saw an unattended boat a distance from the shoreline with the motor running for more than 10 minutes.

The Lake Rescue Team arrived at the Olin Park boat launch at approximately 9:34 a.m., and proceeded into the water to the neglected boat.

“Medic 5 was in the area at the time and also responded to the scene,” Public Information Officer Cynthia Schuster said. “They met an off-duty Madison firefighter who just happened to [have] return[ed] from fishing.”

After arriving at the unattended vessel, two other boats cruised over. The people on the initial boat wanted to report the extended length of time they saw nobody in it. Several minutes later, a third boat ventured over to the stationary scene. One of its dwellers stated, “The empty boat was his and he simply left it to go fishing with friends,” according to the report.

The Lake Rescue Team, along with the remainder of those assisting with the incident, left Lake Monona shortly after with no further questions or concerns.