Party Cove, Lake of the Ozarks

[Whiskers]

Well it looks like any new laws on Missouri waterways won't be affecting this area...


Debauchery and danger on deck in Party Cove at Lake of the Ozarks
By STEVE ROCK
The Kansas City Star

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. | It’s a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon, and Party Cove is awash in alcohol-fueled revelry.

On one side, a boatful of men hollers at bikini-clad women and encourages them to drop their tops. The women oblige, eliciting hoots and hollers. On the other, a man cocks his arm and launches an unopened can of beer into a crowd more than 50 feet away.

A few minutes earlier, in a similar display of male machismo, a man hurled a bottle that struck a woman on the head and opened a nasty gash.

In the water, partiers awkwardly hold their drinks above the surface and wade obliviously into the paths of 20-, 30- and even 50-foot boats.

Conspicuously absent, at least right now, is any sign of law enforcement.

It’s just another weekend in Anderson Hollow Cove, as the area is officially known.

There are few places in the country quite like this, where booze and water make for a jovial, volatile or sometimes-deadly mix. Now, at what’s typically Party Cove’s busiest time of the year — the weekends surrounding the Fourth of July, when as many as 2,000 boats and 8,000 people wedge into the cove — Missouri Water Patrol officers are dealing with a sobering reality:

“Until there’s a public outcry,” said Lt. Nick Humphrey, “it will be business as usual.”

Nudity. Alcohol. Sexual activity. Pollution.

That’s not to say Water Patrol officers don’t care about what goes on in Party Cove, that they ignore the partylike atmosphere and the incidents that have resulted in two deaths this year.

But they can only do so much, they’ll tell you, with a patrol stretched thin and state laws that handcuff their efforts to clamp down on nudity. They try to maintain a visible presence near Party Cove, but that inlet is just one small piece of the Lake of the Ozarks — the third-most accident-prone waterway in the country. The agency’s 18 officers are expected to patrol 1,100-plus miles of shoreline.

Besides, they said, the prospect of going into the most-congested areas of Party Cove is daunting. Too risky. Too dangerous. Because Water Patrol officers usually work alone, they would be vastly outnumbered if they tried to stop a couple who were, say, engaging in public sexual activity.

“I don’t go back in there,” patrolman Dean Bartlett said from his boat. “We work on our own, and trying to go in there and get somebody is impossible.

“It’s scary to go in there.”

A typical day

It’s no secret that Party Cove features booze and boobs.

The area is known nationally, being described as “infamous” in the Daily Herald of suburban Chicago and as a “vast, loud, wet, sexy, joyous and furious revel” in The New York Times.

For the few people who might happen upon the cove without knowing what it’s all about, a quick look at the inflatable penises and “Whip Cream Bikini Contest” signs should make it clear no children’s water slides are nearby.

So it’s mind-boggling to Nikki Lohman that people complain about the cove.

“If you can’t take it, don’t come in here,” said Lohman, 32. “It’s called ‘Party Cove’ for a reason.”

Lohman made the drive from Illinois with her husband and four other couples. They’re normal people, they’ll tell you — a day-care provider, a nurse, a special-education teacher. Combined, the five couples have 13 children and are far more likely to spend Friday nights falling asleep on the couch than having a cold drink.

“This isn’t something we do every day,” said Lohman’s childhood friend, Tanya Engelman. “Part of the fun is talking to new people, finding out where they’re from.”

They do that here, along one of the makeshift flotillas that strangers create by stringing their boats together, enormous cigarette boats tied next to 22-foot speed boats tied next to rundown pontoon boats.

The revelers come from all walks of life and all ages, the vast majority of them men. They cruise around in boats dubbed “Yachta Yachta Yachta” and “It’s a Booty-full Life,” and the music that thumps from their speakers is a mix of harmonic dissonance that only Motley Crue vs. Puddle of Mudd could create.

Many of them will argue that Party Cove isn’t the den of decadence it’s portrayed to be, that most people are here to do little more than have a cold beer and a good time.

On this particular Saturday, the gathered boaters are raucous but mostly civil. No fights break out, and there’s no overt sexual activity.

Sure, some men gyrate suggestively to Eminem’s “Shake That (Behind).” Sure, there are thong bikinis and “Baby Oil Wrestling” signs and floating businesses selling sex toys.

And, yes, alcohol flows freely at this floating frat party.

But Fred Kutilek, an engineer from the St. Louis area who was making his Party Cove debut, said the experience was calmer than he had expected.

“All the media reports make it sound like a big orgy out here,” he said. Laughing, he called the experience “good, fun, family entertainment.”

Well … not quite, not with companies like Exclusive Event Productions of Sunrise Beach, Mo., promoting its business on a 55-foot yacht that, on this day, is equipped with a mobile oxygen bar and women wearing little more than temporary — and strategically placed — tattoos.

“Everyone wants to have fun at the lake,” owner Adriane Ritchie said.

But at what cost?

‘At their mercy’

The main stretch of Party Cove, the epicenter of activity, is dubbed “the gauntlet.”

Think of it as Bourbon Street of Osage Beach, complete with beads.

Here, two rows of boats sit just far enough apart to let daring boaters pass through. It’s a crowded mess, one made even messier by revelers lobbing beer cans and blasting passing boaters with water cannons.

Half-drunk swimmers float past boat propellers whirring at hundreds or thousands of revolutions per minute.

This is the area Water Patrol officers generally try to avoid.

“You’re going in there against 20 guys that are drunk,” said patrolman Bartlett, who knows what it’s like to have a full can of beer hurled in his direction. “They’re having their fun, and you’re basically at their mercy.”

According to Capt. Matt Walz, “You’re not going to take the chance of sending just one officer into that … hornet’s nest.”

At Lake Havasu in Arizona, officers dealt with a similar problem by eliminating it.

After an area of the lake known as “the sandbar” began to attract hundreds of boaters, as well as alcohol, nudity and related problems, law enforcement and medical officials realized they couldn’t get to some of the boaters.

“It had just gotten to a point where it was almost out of control,” said Officer Tim Montgomery of the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office.

[Whiskers]

Here is an interesting take on the situation...


Would you rather have Party Cove in your cove?

Opinion
By Bud Simmons/A view from a Camden County Republican
Published: Friday, June 22, 2007 12:19 AM CDT

I would like to start off by saying; I have not been to Party Cove for years, although I use to frequent it when it was at the 6- and 13-mile markers.

This was before it was moved to its present location in Anderson Hollow Cove at Lake of the Ozarks State Park and when many of the things that are presently being done at Party Cove were rare.

I would be the first to say that there are many others who would be better qualified to address this, but we couldn't find any volunteers, so here we are.

As to if the community should examine breaking up the party in Party Cove at its present location and under the present situations, the term community is a little ambiguous as to who the community is.

Is it a formal body, a legal body that can make and enforce laws or who?

If my memory serves me correctly, when the party was moved from the 6- and 13-mile marker to its present location, it was because of the disturbance it was causing the homeowners.

At its current location, there are no homeowners. This sounded like a good idea to the group that was in charge of the move. We also had a group that requested a no-wake zone area because of all the boat traffic to Party Cove damaging their docks.

It has been said by the Water Patrol that approximately 50 percent of all boating while intoxicated tickets have been given in the Party Cove area. For the last 10 years, Missouri has written more BWI tickets than any state in the nation.

So to say or to indicate the situation has not already been examined and actions not being taken would be false.

Should it be examined more?

That would be up to the people who might want to examine it.

I personally believe the Constitution gives people the right to gather there just like people do at parties, night clubs and many other places.

I am told that Party Cove is patrolled a lot, by as many as three to five officers of the Water Patrol in order to see that no laws are being broken and to help keep things as safe as possible.

Let's think what would happen if it was disbanded or if it broke up and they went to 10 other places, which would require even more officers to monitor.

There is a cove up by Mariners Pier 31 where boats are now gathering and causing damage to docks and property, but it is a free lake.

I would suggest we appreciate the fact that all of these people have a common place to go so that it leaves the rest of the whole lake for those who do not want to participate in the Party Cove activities.

I would suggest the following:

1. Monitoring the size of the wakes the boats put out (they should not exceed 15 inches if they are in a cove.

2. People who rent boats should be qualified to drive them or given a test before they are allowed to drive them.

3. Boats could be marked with beginner or intermediate for those that should not be driving in congested places so that officers can keep them out of places like Party Cove and other areas that require a more experienced operator to drive through.

4. Maybe monitor how many boats can be in Party Cove at one time just like they do in other places like restaurants, theaters, etc.

5. Continue to write tickets for any laws that are broken. Boaters bring in a lot of revenue to the lake area; the area would definitely hurt without them.

Boating is no different than anything else where a few people make it bad for all.

There are many, many good boaters out there on the water and it is a small percentage that give all the others a bad rap.

We have the rap for having the third most boating accidents in the nation.

This is simply wrong and I believe it has hurt us in a number of ways.

It is my understanding that our lake is reporting all of our accidents including wave runners and fishing boats where some of the other states do not include them in their numbers.

There are a number of other things that need to be taken into consideration; like the number of boats, population, size of the water, etc.

All states should be required to report on the same things for things to be fair and balanced.

I believe someone can, if they have not already, write another article that would be more favorable to our area.

I do not see this as a Democratic or Republican situation, but as a common situation that all of us should address.

The reason I have chosen the Republican Party is because of their strong standing for less federal government and for more government by the people, lower taxes, a strong military and, most importantly, strong religious and family values.

It is my humble opinion that if more family values, prayer in our schools, and God be brought back into our lives and public places would cure many of these problems.

Let's always remember, especially at this time of year when we are getting ready to celebrate our independence that freedom is not free and we are all Americans before anything else.

Both Democrats and Republicans have given all to protect them. God bless them, all of their families and you at this special time of year.

Let's pray others can one day enjoy the freedoms we so often take for granted.

[Critter]

I just want to say I'm proud to be American,and God Bless Boobs...


Everyone have a happy Fourth of July and be safe.

[Whiskers]

All you need to do is read some of the newspaper articles around here and you will see that party cove is a popular place for alot of locals.I don't hang out there much myself but I think it is a good place for people to gather.Since it is an undeveloped area it isn't really hurting anything and like mentioned it is better to have them gathered there in one place than cruising all up and down the lake.If folks don't like what happens there then by all means they shouldn't go there...



Opinion
By Randy Little/A view from a Camden County Democrat
Published: Friday, June 22, 2007 12:19 AM CDT

This is a lake issue, not a politcal one
This is not exactly a Democratic or Republican issue ' it is a Lake of the Ozarks issue.

Anything I say in this article is my personal opinion and not a political viewpoint.

Although I have heard about Party Cove for years, I have never been to see the spectacle first hand.

I have seen a video that was shot in Party Cove a few years ago.

I've talked to people who have been there.

I tried to find someone who would take me to the area, but everyone I knew with a big boat was busy this last weekend.

People who boat on Lake of the Ozarks need someplace to park their boats and cove out.

There are fewer and fewer unpopulated coves where this can be done. Asking people to constantly cruise up and down the lake isn't practical.

The undeveloped shoreline of Lake of the Ozarks State Park in Anderson Hollow Cove seems to me to be the best spot for large groups to congregate.

Public drunkenness and occasional nudity is going to happen here.

I don't see a practical way to police the entire lake with more than 1,100 miles of shoreline and 55,000 miles of waterway.

The entire budget for the Water Patrol covering all waterways in the state wouldn't be enough to put enough manpower and equipment on Lake of the Ozarks to strictly enforce existing laws.

If people have a problem with what happens in Party Cove, I think they should go to another part of the lake.

It's a really big lake.

There are other areas where people can park their boats and spend quiet time on the water. I personally like the Ha Ha Tonka Cove.

I also like to go listen to music at some of the waterfront restaurants.

There are quite a few very good musicians in the lake area.

A good restaurant with a great band is one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon or early evening, kicking back and enjoying the food, music and people parade.

Sometimes an obnoxious drunk or two can be a real pain. I have been tempted to reach out and shake a drunk and explain etiquette to them.

A deputy explained to me this is not proper behavior.

So, now I don't stay too late at the bars. I seem to run into fewer problems this way.

Lake of the Ozarks has developed a reputation as a place where people come to party; a place where anything goes as long as it's done on the water.

Apparently it is good for business.

I remember an Osage Beach police chief who tried to strictly enforce drunk-driving laws in that jurisdiction.

He was soon looking for another job.

With condominium development dominating the lakefront, visitors have less reason to spend time at their residence.

They are going to spend more time on the water.

The problem, as I see it, is that there are more and more people on the water all the time.

I wish this lake was the same as it was 30 years ago when I first moved to this area.

It won't ever be the same again.

[Wolfman]

Curious. Being as party cove is part of LOZ state park and they just enacted a new law concerning water going through national and state parks concerning beer, nudity, noise ect, i wonder how their going to deal with it.
The new law is primarily for floaters on the rivers but the law states 'federal AND state parks' so if they don't enforce the laws at party cove how are they going to legaly enforce them on rivers such as the gasconade, niangua ect?
Also makes you wonder as the state park already had laws concerning noise, nudity ect. If their not going to enforce it in the cove how can they expect to enforce it in the campgrounds of the park.
Makes me wonder if things are'nt going to come to a head soon when things slow down with the floods ect.
Their pulling officers from across the state for rescue boats. Plus their going to pull officers to enforce the new law on the rivers.
If their going to make their cases stick on the rivers their going to 'have' to do something there at the state park.

Be interesting to go down and check out the oil wrestling and 'strategicly placed' tattoos though.

[Whiskers]

I know it is a double standard but I would guess it has to do with the revenue coming from party cove.It would probably be safe to say they bring tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars into the area on any given saturday night.With a few hundred boats(and say 6 people to a boat) spending $100 (or more)per boat on gas,$15 avg. per person on each meal(x 6 meals per weekend),truck gas cruising town,knick knacks,tee shirts,and most importantly the Bead necklaces.LoL I'm sure they don't want to bite the hand that feeds them so to speak.
I thought it was interesting also since We had just talked about this concerning the rivers and parks.Is it a double standard?Yes.Is it fair? No. But I don't hear anyone around here complaining about seeing boobs in party cove.LoL

[Whiskers]

And as for the law saying they are afraid to go in there due to being out numbered,I would have to call bullcrap on that one.If it was anywhere else they would storm in with a task force,weapons drawn.It has to be a $$$ issue.

[Wolfman]

Actualy there's probably less of a money issue then you think. The boats are running down to party cove and back. Other then that their basicly setting and burning no gas.
Food wise it's more likely hamburgers and hotdogs mostly along with the beer right there at the cove. I doubt there's much 'fine dineing' going on on or near the strip.
The ones makeing the money are the vendors there selling beads and snack foods ect mostly. And grocery stores on the way down.

Most likely it's the fact of haveing all the drunks and potential trouble makers in one spot instead of scattered across the lake in a dozen different coves or running wide open down the lake. Easier to keep an eye on them and if someone gets hurt it's one of them and not some family out on an outing.

One reason they had such a hard time finding the one guy that drowned a couple weeks back in the cove was they had to keep makeing them move the boats so they could do their search. Took a lot longer to find the guys bady because of that.
As for law enforcement being afraid to go in, id say it's just a matter of time. MWP normaly travels one person to a boat but have been known to travel two to a boat and even have a couple of boats out.
There is a Coast Guard presance down there as well.
Plus they have been known to call in MHP to help at times.
Right now their scattered across the state in the areas with serious flooding. The coasties, MWP, MHP AND MDC agents.
Id lay money that after the fourth of july holiday is over and the flooding/rescues is over you'll see some more law enforcement show up down there.
I garuntee you there's a couple of agents there every weekend right now watching and takeing names. The partiers just don't know it yet.

Being labled the third most dangerous water in the nation is'nt going to set well with the city fathers and local law enforcement down there. THATS where the potential money loss will come in with tourists being afraid to come to the lake.
The local resorts and bars are'nt going to like the loss of revenue due to all the partiers going down on the lake instead of spending their cash at their places. It will all soon come to a head. Hence the news reports, so when they do crack down they can claim it was a long running growing problem.
With their enforcemnt on the rivers of the new law they will HAVE to do something or get all their cases from the river thrown out.

Now, when do you want to load up the Toon and go down and check it out whiskers?

[Whiskers]

Yea,I guess I should do some "research" and hang out down there some. lol

They actually do cruise up and down the lake alot in the daylight hours and I see them at alot of the nice eating places around town.It is pretty common to see them all over town wearing the beads,that is a pretty dead give-away.I'm usually in Osage Beach about every Saturday evening/night and the folks from Party Cove are the life of the town.

I'm sure they will be patrolling the lake more but only time will tell if they crack down on Party Cove.

[Wolfman]

Going to happen quicker then in thought it would. Guess the WP did'nt like the KC Star article makeing them look bad.

Missouri Water Patrol announces crackdown on Party Cove
By TONY RIZZO
The Kansas City Star
On a busy weekend, several thousand people will crowd into the Party Cove at the Lake of the Ozarks to drink and mingle.
On a busy weekend, several thousand people will crowd into the Party Cove at the Lake of the Ozarks to drink and mingle.

* Debauchery and danger on deck in Party Cove at Lake of the Ozarks

The party can continue, but revelers at the Lake of the Ozarks’ infamous Party Cove best tone down their lewd and illegal behavior.

The Missouri Water Patrol announced Monday, the day after The Kansas City Star chronicled some of the cove’s debauchery, that it will crack down on sexual misconduct and illegal drug use at the lake.

Undercover officers and surveillance will be used to enforce a zero tolerance policy for that type of illegal activity, the patrol said.

“Although most people who work and live at Lake of the Ozarks certainly want visitors to enjoy their stay here, this type of illegal behavior is not welcome,” said Water Patrol Commissioner Col. Rad Talburt.

The patrol has only 18 officers to patrol more than 1,100 miles of shoreline, so officers from other local law enforcement agencies will help when possible.

Because of personnel limitations and the fact that officers normally patrol alone, officers told The Star that they typically don’t try to enter the cove to make arrests because of the dangerous atmosphere.

On a busy weekend, several thousand people will crowd into the cove to drink and mingle. From vendors who sell sex toys to signs advertising whipped cream bikini contests to the frequent flashing of breasts, the cove has developed a national reputation.

It has been several years since the patrol mounted an enforcement effort similar to the one announced Monday, according to Lt. Nick Humphrey. Previous use of video and photographic surveillance resulted in a number of arrests, he said.

“We’ve noticed this season that it is escalating and getting worse,” Humphrey said. “We felt that it was time to address it.”

Along with announcing the increased enforcement effort, the patrol warned Monday that arrests are public information and that the names and crimes of those arrested could be released to the media.

Sexual misconduct under Missouri law can involve anything from indecent exposure to engaging in sexual activity in a public place or touching someone in a sexual manner while someone else is present.

[Wolfman]

OHHH the CHIT is going to hit the fan now! Coasties got NO sense of humor.

Problems With the Week of the Fourth
Monday, July 2, 2007, 10:01 PM
By Bob Priddy

The state water patrol has some extra muscle for this Fourth of July week. The Coast Guard has dropped in, as it does from time to time during busy periods on the water. With the holiday in the middle of the week, authorities are expecting the entire week to be busy.

State Water Patrol spokesman Nick Humphrey says the Coast Guard can do some things a little differently from the things the Water Patrol can do. He sas the Coast Guard can board a vessel without probable cause. The coast guard boat crew usually numbers five or six...and sometimes includes a dog....

Humphrey expects the heaviest Coast Guard presence to be in the Party Cove because that's where the heaviest concentration of boaters is. Authorities say they expect to crack down on some of the more blatant behavior that happens there.

Humphrey says a mid-week holiday usually means a couple of big weekends on each side...with increased boating traffic throughout the week. That stretches the Water Patrol thin---another reason the presence of the Coast Guard is welcome.

[Sinker]

I realize nobody yanked my chain, but I got 2 cents! I don't see a dern thing wrong with a set-aside cove, like the aforementioned, to do whatever comes natural. However; it will spread if not challenged, it always does. Minors will be involved, they always are (I was). Somebody's gonna git hurt, they always do! Law enforcement cain't let that happen cause they'd git held responsible. Besides, nobody is gettin specifically taxed fer doin it!!!!!!!, an we jus cain't have that! Nobody is payin lisense fees,too! Morality sucks a hind one in this deal. It's th MONEY; one way'er th other!

[Wolfman]

After peruseing a couple of sights with pics of party cove i still doubt it's the money.
Hetro and gay sex in plain sight topside on the boats is a bit much.
Got nothing against full nudity but they at least need to go down below for the 69, blowjobs, lesbianism ect.
From the sound of it beside massive alcohol consumption it seems there's a fair bit of open drug use as well.
Over half the BWI's for the whole lake are given right there at party cove.
Like sinker said i got no problem with em haveing a cove all to themselves to party in. It's the massive alcohol consumption then driveing the boat that bothers me the most. The hardcore drugs are a bit much as well. Not sure i want to see gay sex topside either..lol
Basicly they had a good thing going, did'nt police it themselves, got a lil out of hand and abused what they had untill the more mundane folks have had enough.
Like i said earlier the lake resorts, marinas ect are'nt real happy being known as the nefarious party cove lake. Hurts buisness.

I was down near there(McCuubins point) a couple years back and you would'nt beleive the boat traffic. Waves were massive and seemed everybody thought THEY had the right of way. Was real bad.
Course if id known i was that close to party cove id of slipped over and looked for some BOOBIES myself.

The water cops and coasties will crash the party and kill their buzz for a bit. They may stay and they may move elsewhere.(Whiskers cove would be good!) Just take em awhile to ramp things back up again.
I know one thing, they may give the WP a Hard Time but they best mind their P's n Q's with the coasties or they will get their teat in a wringer real quick. They wont fool with them.
Things start getting out of hand with injuries, drownings ect they got to do something about it.

Whiskers, we could get us a couple kegs and set em on the toon and motor on down. Put us up a sign says free beer, girls only and have a boat full by the time we got tied up the way it sounds.