Storm swamps sailboats

They wanted wind for the North Flathead Yacht Club races Tuesday night, but not that much.

A windstorm capsized two sailboats near Somers, according to sheriff's Deputy Tom Snyder, who coordinates search and rescue. A few other boats had to be towed in, he said.

No one was seriously hurt, though four people who were pitched into the water were treated for minor hypothermia.

A steady wind of 15 to 20 mph blew from the northwest, according to the National Weather Service in Missoula. At 7:50 p.m., gusts reached 36 mph, enough to cause chaos for some boaters participating in the Tuesday night regatta.

More than wind was causing confusion.

There were conflicting reports of boats in distress, people in the water, and vessels sinking, Snyder said.

There was no list of boats that were participating in the race, so rescuers couldn't know how many to look for, he said. It wasn't until 9:30 p.m. that all boats were accounted for.

One boat was found upside down Wednesday morning in the water near Caroline Point.

In addition to the Sheriff's Office, the Lakeside Quick Response Unit, Somers and Kalispell fire departments, Swan Mission Search and Rescue, and Bigfork Fire and Medical were notified. The yacht club had its own boat in the water to pick up people. A couple of lake residents, Ron Hopkins and Bob Lincoln, also offered help, Snyder said.

"Boats on Flathead Lake look out for each other, and that's what happened" Tuesday night, he said.

Darkness fell before all the boats were back to dock, complicating the search, he said.

With the wind pushing water into lunging, dark waves, searchers couldn't see whether boats still were on the water.

The ALERT helicopter often lends its overhead spotlight for searches, but it was out on another call during the event, Snyder said.

He doesn't know how much damage was caused by the storm, but he does know it reaffirms his belief that the number of search-and-rescue calls on the lake is increasing.

"We're having too many late-in-the-day or night-time events on Flathead Lake" to not have a designated boat response in the Somers area, he said.

There are no plans for that yet, but Snyder said it's necessary.