PEPIN, Wis. — Three boaters were rescued and three were missing after their pontoon boat capsized after dark on Lake Pepin off Deer Island. First reports said the boat collided with barges in transit through the Mississippi River main navigation channel through the 22-mile lake. Police dispatchers in Pepin County, Wisconsin, and Wabasha County, Minnesota, received emergency calls about 10:45 p.m.: People in the water and screaming. This was within 15 minutes of the accident. Three boaters were found clinging to the capsized pontoon boat and werec pulled from the water. One person reportedly was injured. The survivors said three fellow boaters were missing. A massive search with watercraft was expanded immediately. Helicopters and drones cwere aclled in. The accident was off the Wisconsin shoe of the lake near the landmark YMCA Deer Island youth camp. This is on a seven-mile stretch between the village sof s Stockholm and Pepin. Pepin County Sheriff Joel Wener confirmed that no campers from the YMCA camp were involved.
Mile Marker 771. Site of accident. On the naturally occurring lake that was formed prehistorically by water backing up the Mississippi River behind the delta formed by sediment from Wisconsin’s Chippewa River. The lake is 22 miles long. At two miles across, it’s the widest navigable portion of the Mississippi River’s 2,350-mile flow to the Gulf of Mexico. The lake’s depth averages 20 feet, although there are pockets as deep as 60 feet. Off Deer Island, where accident occurred, the depth is 16 to 18 feet. The lake is popular for sail-boating out of Lake City on the Minnesota side and Pepin on the Wisconsin side.
Pontoon safety
Pontoon boats with outboard motors are available for rent at numerous marinas. The slow-moving vessels are popular for family outings. Drivers must be 25 years old. It takes 15 minutes to fill out a rental agreement and depart with a full tank of gas. A copy of state boating laws is under the steering helm for reference.