When the lads headed up to the Main Gate, they heard someone call out, "Here they come!" As soon as that was said, multiple bright lights were turned on and the boys could see a number of television cameras and reporters waiting for them to come through the gate.
Mr. Ken had gone into the house to get into some dry clothes and wasn't there to see what was happening. Charles quickly called his 'dad' and when the man answered he couldn't believe what Charles had just told him. Ken Thomas told Charles to tell the boys to wait for him and he quickly dressed and hurriedly walked to the Main Gate.
While the man got into clean, dry clothes, many of the parents were calling to their sons to come out to them. It was Robert who called out that they were to wait for his 'dad' to be there. But that didn't deter the TV and newspaper reporters from calling out questions to the boys trying to get the scoop on that evening's rescue out on the lake.
Charles got concerned about all the cameras and his face getting out on TV, or in the newspapers, so he pulled Robert aside and told him he was going back into the house and why. He stopped his 'dad' along the way and explained what he was doing and 'dad' Ken hugged the now tearful lad and told him to wait for him in his Study.
As soon as Mr. Ken got to the gate, the questions were again yelled out to the man and the boys. Mr. Ken asked the boys to hang back while he went up and addressed the assembled masses. His first concern was for the boys. He knew they had never been exposed to this sort of frenzy and he wanted to talk to their parents before he let them outside the estate. He asked the guards to allow the parents inside and to keep anyone else out and if they did enter the estate they were to detain them and call for the Sheriff.
Virtually all the boys had at least one parent there. In the beginning, there were a few exceptions as James was going to stay with Camm that night and Brad was being picked up by Mr. Fletcher. All that changed when the parents got there to collect their sons, and were accosted by the news media. The word got out what was happening at The Cove and all the parents showed up to make sure their son wasn't pulled into saying something they shouldn't. They were happy Mr. Ken asked them into the estate and they could go to their child and talk to them about what happened.
After the parents and sons talked some, Mr. Ken asked them to gather up and he told them how he saw what happened. He told them he didn't expect what they had done to garner any media attention. It was then he learned that Walt did indeed survive and was in the ICU unit at the hospital. He also learned that video of the rescue was already on the evening news and that put a whole different spin on the events of the evening. The parents asked Mr. Ken to be their spokesman and reluctantly he agreed. He did tell Logan and his mom, Julie, to be ready to be called forward to answer some questions, since the man learned the young teen's face was being shown all over the TV as he dove into the water with a life vest and life ring in his hands.
Ken Thomas walked outside The Cove through the guard shack. As soon as he emerged the news reporters descended upon him. The man held up his hands, in a surrender pose, and asked them to settle down and he would answer their questions, but only after there was order.
"I take it you are here tonight to learn about what happened out on the lake earlier this evening. I'll answer your questions after I tell you how I saw what happened," began Mr. Ken. "I had promised the boys I would take them out for a cruise all around the lake. We headed out at about 6 PM and our first stop was the Lake Water Safety and Rescue Team Headquarters building. They were gracious enough, a few weeks back, to give the lads a private tour and we stopped by to present them with some sweet treats as a token of our appreciation.
"From there we headed out and followed along the shoreline and worked our way over to the yacht club where the boys and I docked and went up to the Commodore's Club snack windows and had something to eat. After talking with Commodore Wilson, the boys and I loaded back onto the Commander and headed back towards The Cove. Along the way, we passed many boats, big and small, which were headed back to the yacht club and of course, we all waved and smiled as we passed in the evening. It was then that one of the boys noticed a sailboat in the 18 to 20 foot range was having difficulty tacking with the wind.
"We veered away from them to give them a wide berth in case the wind caught them and rushed them towards us. I definitely wanted to avoid any collision out there on the lake with that many people on board my craft. It was then we noticed a gust of wind coming across the lake as the water had begun to ripple. Before long, we saw the wind had indeed caught the sailboat's sail and the boys on board her were tossed into the lake. We headed over to assist them in any way we could and in doing so, we found that one boy had been caught under the sail. We retrieved two of the three lads and then we were able to get the lad from underneath the sail.
"I had already called for the lake's safety rescue team to head out our way, not knowing what the situation was at the time and with it getting dark I didn't want to have the possibility of a lost person out on the lake all night long. Once the rescue boats arrived, we put the lad into a floating stokes basket and they placed him on one of the rescue boats and headed off towards a waiting ambulance. We then righted the boat. I tied it to a cleat on my stern and we towed it here to The Cove. Tomorrow, I will call the Commodore and give him the registration number so he can notify the boat's owner. That's all there was to what happened out there on the lake this evening.
"There is nothing else to say about what we saw and what we did. We saw some fellow sailors in trouble and headed in their direction to give them the assistance they needed. End of story. Now, I know you all have questions, so if you will please take your turn and ask me them. Please … if it's already been asked, I ask you to please do not ask it again. Okay who's first?"
"Mr. Thomas, we have video that shows a young man diving into the water with a life vest and life preserver. Can you tell us who that young man was and can you bring him out here so we can ask him some questions?" asked Richard Casey from KCBA TV
Mr. Ken pulled out his cell phone dialed a number and once it was answered the news media could hear him asking the person at the other end for the person who dove in with the life ring and his mom to come outside the Main Gate. At that point, he told the news media that he was waiting for the young teen and his mom to arrive he asked if they had any other questions.
While everyone waited for the teen to appear outside the estate, a newspaper reporter asked, "How many boys were with you on your boat and how big is your boat and who are these boys you say you told would take out on the lake with their friends?"
Mr. Ken thought for a moment and said, "To answer your first question, there were about fifteen pre-teens and teens on board. My cabin cruiser is approximately 49 feet long which is quite big enough to handle the number of people who were on board. As for your last question, you must understand that the boys of which you referred to are minors and because they are in my care, just like Collin was a few years back, I cannot legally tell you their names without written permission of either their parents, Judge Adam Richards, the county Juvenile Court judge or by CPS and Miss Judy Turner. I believe you understand what I'm talking about, so please do not ask me their names again," a very curt but firm answer was given by Ken Thomas.
"But, could one of those lads be named Robert, and wasn't he involved with the altercation at the water park back at the beginning of summer? And wasn't it he who was falsely accused as being one of the perpetrators when, indeed, he was one of those boys attacked? So, we already know his name so why won't you confirm it?" yelled out a news reporter, who had a KTFC TV sign on his microphone.
"Sir, I just explained to you that I cannot legally reveal his, or anyone else's, name. Even if the lad who you called Robert is indeed one of the boys, again I cannot legally confirm that without legal authorization," bluntly replied Ken Thomas.
Mr. Ken could hear the gates of the guard door opening, so he knew that Logan and Julie Anderson were on their way. He asked if there were any other questions before the teenager and his mother appeared.
The TV cameras were focused on Mr. Ken, but as Logan and Mrs. Anderson began walking towards Mr. Ken the cameras focused on the boy's face and his mom's. Questions began in earnest as they yelled to the teenager what was his name and who was beside him for all intents and purposes. Seeing what was happening, Mr. Ken raised his hands again and asked them all to quiet down and to be civil and to treat the teenager and his mom with respect or he would take them back into his estate.
Some of newspaper people began mumbling and grumbling about the fact that Mr. Ken had no right to deny them access to the teenager and his mom. It was Mrs. Anderson who heard what the newspaper reporter had said and yelled out, "He damn well has that authority … because I gave it to him. If you don't like it stick it where the sun doesn't shine. If you do not treat my son with respect, he and I will walk away. Do any of you have any questions about what I just said?"
There were still some mumbling and grumbling from the news media but for the most part the people up front were quiet as Logan stepped forward. Rene Vaughn from KBLY TV stepped up and asked, "Could you tell us your name, first?"
"My name is Logan Anderson and this is my mom, Ms. Julie Anderson," replied Logan.
Continuing with her questions, Rene Vaughn asked, "What were you thinking when you dove into those waters? Weren't you afraid you'd get caught like that unfortunate boy was?"
Logan stood there like a deer in the headlights. He had no idea what to say and how to say it. He looked up to Mr. Ken who whispered something to him. Whatever was said made the teen smile and he then looked at the TV reporter and said, "The Boy Scouts taught me to react and what to do when faced with life and death situations. I saw that Mr. Ken was attempting to perform CPR but with the dead weight of the lad in the water he was having a difficult time. I grabbed a life preserver and life vest and dove in to help get the boy's body on top of the water. As for being scared, I didn't have time to be scared. I saw a need and I offered to help."
Another news reporter yelled out, "Logan, how old are you?"
"I'm 13 years old," lightly said the teenager.
"Mrs. Anderson, what do you think about your boy being one of the heroes tonight that helped save a boy's life?" yelled out another news reporter.
"I am proud that my son jumped in to help someone in need. He's been taught what to do in similar circumstances by the Boy Scouts, and being the caring person that he is only tells me he will be a fine young man in the future," proudly answered Julie Anderson.
Then a question was yelled out to Mr. Ken. "Mr. Thomas, the videos show an older teen on the flying bridge of your boat. Can you tell us who that person is and why he was in control of the boat?"
Ken Thomas smiled at the question. He knew the teen was inside the gates waiting along with his mom. Mr. Ken pulled out his cell phone again and dialed a number. When the phone was answered, he asked to speak with the mom of the boat's driver. He didn't want to use the teen's name before asking Todd's mom if they wanted to talk to the news reporters. After a few moments, Mrs. Foster agreed to come out with Todd to answer some questions.
As Mr. Ken waited for the two people to come outside the estate, he told the news people that the driver of the Commander would be out shortly. He asked them to give the lad the same respect they had given Logan and his mom, Julie. Everyone heard the door to the guard shack open and out came Todd and his mom.
"Who are you? What's your name? How old are you? Why were you on the boat tonight? Why were you driving the boat when Mr. Ken went into the water? Why weren't you one of the people who dove in?" and the questions went on and on even before Todd could answer any of them.
Ken Thomas held up his hands trying to get the reporters to settle down. When they finally did shut up, Mr. Thomas scolded the lot of them for their deplorable attitude and treatment of the teen. He told them if they couldn't be civil he would take the teen and his mom back into the estate. It was then one person yelled out they could wait for them to come out and talk to them when he wasn't around.
What was said totally pissed off Mr. Ken Thomas. He recognized the news reporters were on his driveway and because they were so arrogant he told them they had to get off his property and get out onto the streets. The news people grumbled and some of them told him they weren't moving. Mr. Ken pulled out his cell phone and dialed THE Sheriff's Office. When the call was answered, Ken Thomas switched his phone to speaker so everyone could hear when he asked if rioting news reporters were an emergency.
The Sheriff's operator/dispatcher asked if they were damaging property or were threatening him in any manner or blocking traffic. Ken Thomas told the operator there were approximately fifteen people on his property who refused to leave. The operator told him to stay on the phone and she would get right back to him. Unbeknownst to the individuals gathered out in front of the gates to Three Finger Cove, the Sheriff and some of his officers were watching the live TV feed. When the operator/dispatcher told them about the call, Sheriff Barnes diredted his deputies to go out there. Ten minutes later three Sheriff squad cars arrived at the street that fronts The Cove.
Dan Fischer was still in the hospital so Sheriff Detective Sergeant Matthias took command and ordered the reporters to move off the property and to stop blocking the driveway. This further infuriated some of the reporters and a couple of them decided to test the Sergeant's authority. After giving the two hold outs time to change their minds, the Sergeant had the two arrested for unlawful trespassing and ignoring the lawful orders of a public servant. They were handcuffed and placed in a squad car and taken away. It was all caught live on camera.
There was another prominent person watching the TV live news feed and he was seething as the reporter said he'd wait for Todd and his mom and then ask them his questions. He made a call to the Sheriff who agreed to get the names of the reporters who were there that night and find out who made the comment about waiting for the teenager.
After the news people were sent off the property, the parents and their sons began to leave The Cove. As the families headed to their vehicles, a few of the news reporters physically stopped them from getting into their cars. The parents told the reporters that it was late and they nor their son had anything to say. Some reporters persisted and with the Sheriff Deputies still there the parents called them over. It was soon evident that if the parents were continued to be harassed, the reporter who did it would be hauled in.
Rene Vaughn was about to call her news director when her phone rang. It was Mr. Thomas. He invited her and her cameraman into the estate to talk to Todd and his mom. Rene quickly called her director and told him she might be able to save the evening. She explained that Mr. Thomas had invited her into the estate for an exclusive interview with the boat's driver. She said she wasn't sure if it would be live but she would get something and let them know.
The next morning Mr. Ken went out and got his morning paper. He took it inside to the Kitchen Nook, as he always does, set it down on the table, got his cup of coffee, and sat down to read the morning news. When he opened up the newspaper, he saw above the paper's logo a small block headline and the page number.
Sailboat Overturns,
One Critical
Mr. Ken knew the article was referring to what happened on the lake the previous evening, so he went directly to the page to see what the article was all about. The article was located on the local happenings page and the headline read,
Two Local Teens Heroes
In Sailboat Incident
Mr. Ken read the article in earnest wanting to know what had been said. It was then he decided to also turn on the local TV news show to see what René Vaughn had decided to air after her exclusive interview with Todd the previous evening. As he waited for the TV news station to air any or all of Ms. Vaughn's interview, he focused his attention back on the article to see how the newspaper had come to its conclusion about the heroes for last night's incident.
The newspaper article went on to reveal essentially what Mr. Ken had told the news media the previous evening. Some of the news reports were based on what the boaters who had come by the overturned sailboat had revealed from what they saw. The article went on to say the boaters could hear the lads in the water yelling that they couldn't find their friend.
The article also said that they heard the boys on the large boat that had stopped say they could see someone was trapped under the sailboat's sail. It was then they said they believe that Mr. Thomas had taken off his shirt and socks and shoes and dove into the water to attempt to rescue the trapped lad, who is now known to be 15 year old Walter Tancards
The observers said they watched as Mr. Thomas was able to pull the boy from under the sail but it appeared the lad was not breathing because Mr. Thomas had begun to give the lad some breaths of air. The article revealed the observant boaters said that another younger teen stripped off his shirt and shoes and jumped into the water with a life preserver and a life ring and took them over to the man.
A boater whose name was identified as Rose told the reporter she saw how the man and the teen placed the life ring under the lad's chest and head to keep it up above the water and how the young teen had taken the life preserver spread out under the boy's legs to help keep the boy fully stable above the water.
The article then disclosed that during the entire time the rescue was going on, there was an older teen operating the cabin cruiser. The article said that some of the boaters were amazed how well the boat's operator was keeping the craft close but not too close so as not to cause any further injury. They said they were astounded at what a great job the teen was doing in keeping the large yacht in position.
The article went on to say a boater named Jack told how he heard the yacht's operator yell down to someone to tie a rope across the top of the mast and secure if off at a stern cleat. The boater further explained the man in the water looking for the trapped teen didn't want the heavy mast from taking the trapped youth further down under the water before he could get him out from under the sail.
The newspaper article went on to say the on-looking boaters had indicated that everything happened so fast that it really didn't sink in as to what was happening until it was all over. The article had said that many onlookers had come across the overturned sailboat after the large yacht had stopped and began to rescue the boaters. They indicated they then began taking video and that their total video time was not much longer than 4 to 5 minutes long.
In the background, Mr. Ken heard the TV news station announce René Vaughn's exclusive video was up next. The announcer said Rene had the only exclusive interview of one of the heroes, along with his mom, of last night's harrowing rescue of three teenaged boaters whose craft was overturned by a strong wind. Any viewer could tell the interview was being held outside with a huge estate home in the background in the darkening evening sky. Mr. Ken knew the interview was held on his driveway at Three Finger Cove, because he initiated it with the permission of Mrs. Foster.
The interview started with Rene Vaughn asking, "Will you tell our viewers your full name, how old you are, and what connection Mr. Thomas has with you?"
Todd smiled, with a killer smile, and said, "Ms. Vaughn, my name is Todd Foster and this is my mom, Emma. I'll soon be sixteen years old and I work for Mr. Thomas. I take care of the estate's beach, the boats and personal watercraft and docks as well as the two new lake water rafts."
Rene then asked Todd what his involvement was, in the evening's rescue. The video showed Todd's reluctance to talk about what he did, but with some prodding from his mom, Todd said, "Mr. Thomas … he taught me how to take care of the cabin cruiser, you know washing it, fueling it and keeping it clean, and also how to handle it out on the open lake waterways. Mr. Ken, that's what just about everybody calls him, allowed me to steer the boat, that evening, with him standing right next to me. We were returning from the yacht club, and headed back towards The Cove, when I spotted the poorly tacking sailboat and mentioned it to Mr. Ken."
"Then what happened?" asked Ms. Vaughn
"When I told Mr. Ken I felt the sailboat might be trouble, he had me give it a wide berth. We then saw some ripples on the water which meant a sudden wind had appeared and it was headed straight for the sailboat. We watched helplessly as the wind struck the sailboat's sail and tilted it to one side. It looked like the sudden wind caught the teens off guard too which caused them to stumble and unbalance the boat. I think with the sudden wind and the boys overloading the boat to one side the strong wind caused the sailboat to capsize."
"What did you do next, Todd?" quickly followed up the TV news reporter.
Todd looked at the very pretty woman and answered, "Mr. Ken told me to get as close to the sailboat as I could without entangling us with them. Mr. Thomas then used the marine radio to call the lake safety and rescue headquarters and explained the situation to the rescue people. Mr. Ken then turned to the other boys on the boat and told Logan to throw out life rings to the two boys in the water and bring them onboard. It was then I could hear the boys in the water yelling out that they couldn't find their friend."
"Todd, what caused Mr. Thomas, your employer, to dive into the water? Do you know why?" asked Rene, next.
Todd answered by saying, "I couldn't hear everything that was being said on the lower deck from up on the flying bridge but I did hear one of the boys yell out he saw what looked like someone was fighting to get out from underneath the sail. I know Mr. Thomas had to have heard it too, because he jumped down off the bridge and quickly stripped off his shirt, shoes and socks and dove into the water.
"I later figured he did that to try to rescue the lad who was trapped under the sail. I had to keep an eye on our position in relevance to the sailboat and that kept me busy. I did hear Mr. Ken call out to tie off the Mast to an aft cleat so the weight of the mast wouldn't take the teen under as he tried to get him from under the sail. I tried to keep the boat no more than about 20 to 25 feet away, but close enough that if something was needed they would be there to assist."
"What was Logan's involvement in the rescue? Do you know why he dove in, too?" followed up Rene.
"I didn't know that Logan had stripped off his shirt, shoes and socks and dove in with a life preserver and life ring until I heard the splash and saw him swimming with those things in his hands and heading over to Mr. Thomas."
"How long do you feel it took Mr. Thomas and Logan to get the trapped teen from under the sail?" Rene wanted to know.
"As I said, I was busy keeping the boat in place, so I didn't see how they got the teenager from under the sail, but when I did look I could see Logan had helped place the life ring under the boy's head and shoulders to keep the boy's head out of the water. I then saw Mr. Ken give the boy a few breaths like he was attempting CPR. I also saw Logan placing the life preserver under the lower part of the boy's body to help keep him above water," responded Todd.
"How long do you think the whole response took? You know, from the time you saw the sailboat capsize until you drove over there and Mr. Ken dove in to help the trapped teen?" probed Rene.
"It was happening so fast that I wasn't concerned about the time. It probably took us 30 to 45 seconds to get there and get stable. Then a few more seconds for Mr. Ken to call the rescue headquarters and tell them what had happened. Geez, I really don't know how long everything took. It was all happening so fast. It felt like a minute or two went by but it probably took at least five minutes or maybe more," replied Todd.
"How soon did the rescue boats arrive at the scene?" was Rene Vaughn's next question.
Todd thought about the question and then said, "It didn't take long for the safety and rescue boats to arrive and as soon as they did two safety divers jumped in and assisted Mr. Thomas and Logan. The four placed the lad into what looked like a floating gurney and took him back to the rescue boat where I saw the rescuers continue to perform what looked like CPR as they raced off, I guess to a waiting ambulance."
"What happened to the two teens you took onboard your boat?" Rene wanted to know.
"As soon as the first rescue boat took off for the ambulance, the second boat came over to us and took the two teens onto theirs and sped off after their sister rescue boat. I don't know what happened to any of the teens after that," offered Todd.
Rene Vaughn finally asked what happened to the capsized sailboat.
"Well, Mr. Thomas decided he needed to right the sailboat to keep it from being a water hazard, so he and Logan tried to upright it. I could see they weren't heavy enough to upright the sailboat by themselves, but then a gentleman called out and asked if they needed help which Mr. Ken readily accepted. The guy dove in and joined Mr. Ken and Logan on the upside and with his help and help from the lads on the Commander they were able to right it, empty out the water and hook it up to our stern. We towed it back to The Cove with us.
"Todd you mentioned the boys in your larger boat somehow helped upright the sailboat. How did they do that?" she asked Todd.
"Oh, that, well remember, we had the top of the mast tied off at the stern, so as Mr. Ken and Logan and the man leaned back to pull the boat up, the lads had untied the mast and pushed up on it. Can't know for sure if it helped or not, but the sail came out of the water and the boat stood upright," replied Todd.
"Todd … were you scared at any point in the rescue attempt?" Rene Vaughn asked.
"To be honest, I didn't have time to be scared because everything was happening so fast. Yeah, sure my heart was beating faster, but I knew Mr. Thomas had confidence in my ability to control his boat which I believe was the reason why he dove in to help the trapped teen," revealed the teenager.
"What do you think about Logan's actions to help Mr. Ken, tonight?" asked Ms. Vaughn.
"I think what he did was awesome. I didn't know that Logan had dove in until I looked out and saw he had a life ring and safety vest and was heading to Mr. Ken. He must have seen Mr. Ken was having trouble, so he unselfishly dove in with the life ring and preserver to help him. None of the other boys thought to help but most of them just turned thirteen or are younger and they aren't as a good a swimmer as Logan. I guess it probably wouldn't have been a good idea for them to jump in. I know Logan is big for his age and is a strong swimmer, so his help, I'd say, definitely helped save that teenager," responded Todd, to the question about Logan Anderson.
Rene decided to end of her interview, so she asked one last question. "Todd, tell us how you saw the actions of Mr. Thomas and Logan and what they did tonight."
"Ms. Vaughn, if they hadn't acted, I'm sure that teen would have drown. They say he was fighting to breathe under the sail and if they hadn't gotten him out, well …," and Todd stopped answering, as tears began to stream down his face. Emma Foster quickly reacted and hugged her son. The camera caught all that and the director decided to leave that as part of the interview.
Mr. Ken thought Rene did a good job of interviewing Todd and he felt Todd had done a great job of answering her questions. He didn't like that they left the tears in at the end and his mom comforting him. He felt they were after ratings by leaving that in. When he turned around he saw Charles and Robert had watched the interview over his shoulder and had done it silently.
"You saw the interview?" Mr. Ken asked his 'boys'.
"Yeah, I think Todd did a good job answering her questions," replied Charles.
"I agree, 'dad'. Todd didn't look scared at all and he really did say what actually happened, I think," followed Robert.
"I wonder how Logan is holding up. Maybe we should call him to see if the reporters ever let him and his mom get home. I'll bet that after that interview Todd gave they are hiding," speculated Charles.
Ken Thomas grabbed his cell phone and called Mrs. Anderson. It went directly to voice mail which told him they probably had their phone off the hook. He told the boys what he heard and Charles said he'd be right back and left the Nook. Charles went for his cell phone to call Logan on the lad's own number. When Charles came back to the Kitchen Nook he told his 'dad' and Robert that Logan and his mom and sisters were waiting for Rene Vaughn to stop by. That brought a smile to the man.
Mr. Ken decided to call Todd to see how he was doing after the excitement of last night. When the teen answered, he told his boss he was down at the docks with Ryan. The man and his lads decided to go down there to talk to the teen. Ryan saw Mr. Ken, Charles, and Robert, and Chief of course, all headed their way so he told Todd they were on their way.
"Hey Ryan, hey Todd," called out The Cove's owner.
"Hello, boss," smiled Todd, as he greeted his employer.
"Did you read the newspapers this morning, Todd?" asked Mr. Ken.
"No, sir, I haven't. Mom doesn't get the paper and I was supposed to meet Ryan down here early this morning for us to fuel up everything. Why, what did I miss?" Todd asked.
"Well, Todd, you and Logan are being hailed as heroes from last night," revealed Mr. Ken.
"What? No! You're kidding me. You ARE kidding me, aren't you?" said a surprised Todd Foster.
Mr. Ken told him about what he read in the newspaper and how the interview came off on the TV News. That surprised the teenager, but he had a huge smile on his face. Ryan hugged him tight for being called a hero. They all sat around and told Ryan about the capsized sailboat and what they did to help. Todd had a big smile on his face the entire time.