Provo » Waves bounced him and water chilled him, but Chans Mixayboua clutched a seat cushion, treaded water, and tried to stay alive.
He thought about his wife, his two daughters, his parents. He wondered who would support them if he died.
"I have too much to live for," Mixayboua said Tuesday, a day after he and several friends survived hours in the waters of Utah Lake after their boat capsized.
But the search is still on for Lon Thongthipvoravong, a 33-year-old husband and father of three from Orem who was operating the boat Monday when it sank. No sign of him was found Tuesday, but searchers will resume their work this morning.
"It's still a search and rescue in our book," said Utah County sheriff's Sgt. Tom Hodgson, hoping to find him alive. Boat crews also searched the bottom of the lake for signs of Thongthipvoravong or the sunken boat.
Ten boats and eight personal water craft were searching Tuesday. But most of the search focused on the marsh and tall weeds along the golf course on the lake's east bank. Relatives and friends of the Thongthipvoravong family also helped search the marsh. Joe Rajsauong, one of the accident survivors, returned to help search.
The sheriff's office believes its knows where the fishermen's boat is but did little searching in that area.
The six men set out to fish Monday afternoon. The group included Thongthipvoravong, his brother, Mixayboua, Rajsauong and two other friends. The group were raised together in Utah and have been friends since junior high school. They have also fished together for years, Mixayboua said in a telephone interview from his hospital room. Mixayboua had bought the boat on Monday, and it was the first time the men had taken it out onto Utah Lake.
It was a 1971 flat-bottom boat with an inboard motor. They launched from the marina destined for a sand bar. Thongthipvoravong knew how to get there, so he was operating the boat, Mixayboua said.
It was calm when the six left the marina. But about halfway to the bar, the wind increased, Mixayboua said.
"All of the sudden, we hit a big wave and the boat started filling with water," Mixayboua said.
Hodgson said the boat is estimated to have sunk at 5:45 p.m. The boat sank so quickly, no one had time to put on life jackets, Hodgson said. Mixayboua said he grabbed a seat cushion and another friend grasped a life jacket that was tied to a rope tied to the boat.
Mixayboua helped untie the rope, and the friend floated free. Mixayboua spent the next six hours alternating between trying to swim toward a shore and just holding onto the cushion.
"I was trying to get to shore but because of the waves, it just kept blowing me toward the middle," said Mixayboua, 34.
Mixayboua said he last saw Thongthipvoravong perhaps three hours after the boat sank, before the sun went down. They were 30 to 40 yards apart and were yelling to one another. The water temperature was between 63 and 67 degrees, Hodgson said.
Thongthipvoravong looked like he was floating all right, Mixayboua said. He tried calling for Thongthipvoravong in the dark but received no answer.
Hodgson said Thongthipvoravong was last seen holding onto the boat cover. That cover and other items from the boat were recovered and piled onto a dock Tuesday at Utah Lake State Park.
Another of the survivors made it out of the water and was able to call 911 for help around 9:15 p.m. Searchers in boats and helicopters deployed to find the other five men.
Mixayboua, floating in darkness, said he saw the spotlight from a helicopter shine on the marina. He realized there were people looking for him and began swimming in that direction. A searcher in a boat soon found him and pulled him to safety.
The fifth survivor was found about 1:30 a.m.
The men received treatment for hypothermia. Mixayboua said he expected to go home from the hospital today.
Thongthipvoravong's brother, Soukitta Thongthipvoravong, and other family members spent Tuesday at the state park marina watching the search. They declined to comment, watching the waters.
