The veteran commander of a 22-foot Sun Tracker succumbed to exhaustion Sunday after a grueling 45-minute struggle to align his vessel with a slip in three-knot winds.
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. — Dave Higgins, 58, a seasoned pontoon captain who navigated the placid coves of the Lake of the Ozarks for nearly a decade, died Sunday after succumbing to exhaustion during a 45-minute struggle to dock his vessel in a three-knot breeze.
Higgins purchased his 22-foot Sun Tracker in 2015, immediately assuming the rank of commander among his extended family. He was widely respected for his strict maritime protocols, which included mandatory koozie usage and an unwavering refusal to let anyone else pair their phone to the vessel's Bluetooth speaker.
He fought that crossbreeze until the very end, screaming at me to grab the orange bumper even though we were still 20 feet from the wood.
Higgins is survived by his wife, Brenda; three children; and a half-empty cooler of Michelob Ultra that he explicitly asked not to be left out in the sun. Services will be held Thursday, wind permitting.