Fan happy to help out Ike

Matt Dean knew he threw that poly rope in his boat for a reason...

Matt Dean, of Nederland, Texas, a guy who has spent a lot of time on the Sabine River System, sent the video below to us of the moment when Michael Iaconelli’s boat became dislodged after it crashed. Matt is a fan of Iaconelli and the Elite Series, and knew the area well enough to know that Elites could run into trouble.

He tells us that there were a lot of submerged trees that were pushed over during the hurricanes in 2005 and 2008, so he grabbed 80 feet of 5/8-inch diameter poly rope and threw it in the boat as he prepared to follow the action during the Sabine River Challenge presented by STARK Cultural Venues. He thought he may have to tow a boat or two, not necessarily remove one from the woods!

Matt is also quite proud (and rightfully so) of his Yamaha 250 which you can hear clearly in the video below. He says it took 15 to 20 tugs from his boat, but you are only seeing the last five or so. Matt says Ike was courteous and appreciative to him, and that this was a great moment to meet one of his heroes.

We’d like to recognize Matt Dean as the unofficial Bayou Rescue Boat and thank him for helping out Ike and sending us the video. Also, big thanks to Karen Bourdier of Beaumont, Texas, for shooting the dramatic rescue.