The sailboat had run aground on a sand bar just off the Lake Shore Marina north jetty. It was so close to the marina that I moored the boat and walked out onto the jetty to talk to the captain. I beamed his boat with a small flashlight; our words traveled clearly across the midnight air.

I advised him that I could not reach him by boat, nor could I tow his vessel off the sand bar. A series of buoys lining a narrow corridor of safe water into the marina greatly restricted our ability to maneuver, especially if we took his vessel in tow. Moreover, our rescue boat drew 2.7 feet; the water, leading up to the sail boat drew less than a foot.

The two adult males aboard could have easily walked to shore except one was on crutches. So now what? How do we remove the two men?

Fair question. We decided to leave them aboard until dawn, which was only a few hours away. Group Grand Haven would maintain a radio guard with them over Channel 16 until commercial assistance arrived.

The following morning a small tug boat from a nearby marina pulled them off the sand bar at a cost of $150. Besides the cost and missing a day of work, they got off rather light. That same day a larger salvage operation removed a 22-foot motor boat which ran onto the Muskegon south jetty rocks. That salvage company billed the high-and-dry captain $1,500.

The cost of going aground not only stresses the wallet; it can also stress the nerves. Several days later I responded to another grounding on Muskegon Lake but this time the stakes were much higher. High winds drove a 24-foot sailboat onto a shoal on the lakeıs north side. A husband and wife, their 9-month-old baby, and 3-year-old daughter sat huddled in their cabin as 25-knot winds howled above decks and seas rolled into their boat. The marine radio carried warnings of severe thunderstorms in the area. Here again, low water prevented us from approaching the sailboat ‹ a situation made worse still by the weather.

Fortunately, the Coast Guard Cutter Neah Bay, which was moored nearby, deployed their 18-foot small boat; a crewman donned in a dry suit and tethered to a swimmerıs harness removed the family including the 9-month-old infant. Yes, I know, how could an infant be out there in those conditions? But then thatıs another story.

The story here, echoed by my fellow chiefs from Frankfort to Michigan City, is that a rash of groundings have presented Coast Guard crews with unique challenges while leaving some boaters dismayed. Sorry about that, but the Coast Guardıs primary role is to aid boaters in distress, not act as a salvage company.

Donıt misunderstand, the Coast Guard will take immediate action as in the case of the sailboat family, but in the case of the two gentleman, well, you know the story. I might note, too, that in that case we made calls to the captainıs wife, employer, monitored the boatıs condition through the night, and made arrangements with a salvage company to assist. In short, we monitored the case until the crew landed safely on shore.

The hassle to the owner in cost and time should provide a warning to other boaters that low water levels could leave them high and dry and their wallet lean or empty.

Note, too, that itıs not only small lakes and tributaries in which groundings are occurring, but on Lake Michigan as well. A series of sand bars parallel Lake Michiganıs eastern shore and outer sand bars that boats freely passed over last year are now snagging boaters. Chief Reed, operations officer at Station Ludington, told of several recent cases wherein boaters fell victim to sand bars.

The chief offers boaters this advice -- "Boaters simply cannot go where they did last year."

Hereıs some other Boat Smart advice: