It began as another weekend of relaxation and recreation on Roosevelt Lake.

The recreation area northeast of Fountain Hills has long been a favorite camping and boating spot for Tammie and Dave Ott.

If those names sound familiar, Tammie is the circulation and legal and classified advertising manager for The Times, and Dave is the Assistant Fire Chief for The Town of Fountain Hills.

Saturday, June 27, was a day that they certainly will long remember. It began with totally blue skies. At 2 p,m. when they launched,, the sky was still mostly blue with only a few scattered clouds. There was no wind blowing, and the water was like glass. It was a perfect day for a family boat outing.

Their boat is a 24-foot Sea Ray with an open deck in the front for additional seating. They have had the boat for years. They also have a motorhome they keep in the campground, some seven miles from the boat marina.

On the boat were Tammie’s mother, their two daughters, two grandkids, ages two and three. along with Dave and Tammie.

As they got out on the water, the wind picked up. At first, it was only about five miles per hour.

“Before we knew it, the dark clouds moved in and tlhe wind really started picking up,” Dave said.

‘”All of a sudden, we went from being in five-foot swells to 20-foot swells. All I could think about was getting back to shore.

“Especially with all of our kids on board.”

The boat was beginning to take on water faster than the bilge could pump it out.

“I was starting and stopping the engine to keep the boat from turning sideways,” he continued.

“If it capsized, we would be in serious trouble.”

He spotted a cove he felt he could reach. Once inside the cove, he felt he could better maneuver the boat.

There were other boats in trouble around them, all struggling to make it to shore.

Once inside the cove, a big swell rolled in and slammed them onto the rocks on shore.

His first thought was to get the kids out of the boat.

No one had shoes, they lost their cell phones but the best part was they had all survived the ordeal.

Their boat was pulled off the rocks the next morning by a Gila County Sheriff’s patrol boat.

Their boat was damaged, he said. ”We had a bent prop and we’ll have to get five or six holes repaired on the fiberglass (of the hull).”

“It was pretty scary out there,” Dave said. ”I’ve been in several storms at Roosevelt, but nothing like this.”

They later learned that the wind at the lake had been clocked at 72 miles per hour at the height of the storm. That’s almost hurricane strength.

Based on his experience, what advice can he pass on to other boaters?

“Check the weather forecast before you go out, especially during the monsoon season. When you see a storm coming get off the lake as soon as possible. Conditions can change in a matter of minutes, as we found out,” he said.

And, oh yes, there is one more little story.

After reaching shore, Tammie felt a slight sting on her jaw. She asked her daughter if she could see a bee on her shoulder.

Her daughter looked at her and replied, don’t move and slowly raise your arms toward me. What she saw was a scorpion on her shoulder that had apparently got on her when she was in the rocks after getting out of the boat.

Her daughter knocked it off when she got within reach. That “bee sting” was from the scorpion. Her face was numb for half the night.

As I said, it was a memorable weekend for Dave, Tammie and their family.