An Area Man Dies After Being Blown Overboard At Harvey Gap Reservoir

Wind to blame in Harvey Gap Reservoir drowning incident.

It has been much windier over the last several days. The wind on Friday nearly took down Country Jam. Flags were ripped from their poles, dust was flying, and cotton coming off the cottonwood trees that looked like a blizzard!  Fortunately, nobody was hurt. Sadly, it was a gust of wind that knocked a man out of a boat at Harvey Gap Reservoir, resulting in him drowning.

I've spent countless hours in a boat. I owned a fishing boat before I was old enough to drive. I've hit waves so big I thought for sure they were going to swamp my boat. I've hit a stump so hard while ripping down the lake it nearly knocked the motor off the back. I've slipped and fallen overboard but had never been blown out of a boat.

Investigators say a 37-year-old man from nearby Silt, Colorado was blown overboard by a gust of wind while boating at Harvey Gap Reservoir last Thursday. His body was later recovered in about 35 feet of water some 800 feet from the shoreline.

The little reservoir is inside Harvey Gap State Park just northeast of the town of Rifle. It's a reminder of how important it is to wear your lifevest. Today's life jackets are a far cry from those bulky orange things we had to wear years ago. Most are streamline and lightweight. Many inflate automatically when they impact the water offering freedom of movement and ease of use.

Credit: KKTV11News