The funniest thing about the whole story is that the night before, Tom C was telling us about his lost board at Jordan river, and how he floated/swam to Point no Point with his rig. Foreshadowing....
He did, however, try to swim to his board first - current/wind swept it out of reach....
..."four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie." - Fit for a King?

OK. All well and fine. The missing part of the story is ... I wasn't riding my $1800 Kombat 95. I was on a Mistral Heat that someone gave me for nothing. As in FREE. The nose was damaged and the repair job was a bit of a mess. To me the board was worth $0 even though it was a really very nice ride. The rig on the other had had a 100% RDM and a like new Aerotech 5.3 and all the hardware. My brain was siding with my wallet not with my well being. In retrospect it was a bad choice. The water was cold and it was difficult to swim with the waves and wind. I should have swum for the board to give me flotation. My mistake and I won't make it again! Believe me.

I wish Dwayne was at Gordon's Beach with his SeeDoo ! I was recently rescued by a kiter named Snapper. First he rescued me then my kite- we were waaaay off shore and the swim in was near hyperthermic. If a motorized machine can minimize people's discomfort (even save a life) then I can take the noise and fumes. There might be an emergengy and this boat will prove invaluable. As long as every motor home isn't showing up with a motorized personal water craft at Nitnat then it is a great service. I'll have my 5$ and cold beer on hand for the man.

Hell AC - Why don't you quit teaching and just be a full time rescue man! I think you could make more $!