ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Boaters were lining up at Cotton Bayou boat launch this morning to pull out boats in front of the arrival of Tropical Storm Isaac.

But they were met with a delay.

Just before 7 a.m. Orange Beach Police got a call of a car in the water at the popular boat launch.

“Somebody decided to park a car in the water,” Orange Beach Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Kevin Lanford said. “We got a call this morning for a car in the water and we got and cleared the car and didn’t find anybody in it.”

The car was a BMW with a vanity plate that read SURFR1. According to Orange Beach Assistant Police Chief Greg Duck the car belongs to a Foley resident and was reported stolen.

“We are holding the car for Foley,” Duck said. “It’s a Foley case.”

There is a camera at the launch and police said they were checking with the state to see if it was operational.

As boaters lined up, officials were trying to line up the right equipment to get the car out.

“The wrecker’s coming,” Orange Beach Patrol Officer Matt Simmons said. The first guy said he couldn’t do. The second guy said he could but he’s got to go get another truck. The dive team’s here to help manipulate it.”

Orange Beach Fire and Rescue dive team members Lt. Bruce Nelson and James Anderson worked to hook the car up. Nelson worked in the water getting the cables and chains on the car as Nelson stood by on shore.

“We’re going to dive on it and try to get it pulled out from the end of the pier,” Nelson said. “We got to get a line on it and pull it from the water.”

Then the car was too close to the end of the southernmost pier and police and fire personnel on the scene were afraid the pier might be damaged.

“He’s going to go do another check on the car,” Anderson said. “We’ve got a chain we’re going to basically rig like a block and tackle off this end of the pier. We’re going to pull the car out to the center of the launch, reposition and then pull it back up on the launch that way.

“At least that’s the plan. It’s a dynamic plan that’s always subject to change.”

Turns out, changes were required.

“We had to change our dynamic plan,” Anderson said with a grin. “The wrecker doesn’t have enough cable. We’re going to have the Marine Police go get the boat and we’re going to tow the car back to an area where we can hook to it. Our main concern now with trying to hook straight up is it’s kind of wedged under the front of the finger pier.”

The Orange Beach police boat soon showed up and helped pull the car it to the center of the ramp. But that wasn’t the final solution.

The wrecker was still a bit short and a length helped get the car inching toward dry land.

After a couple of more delays and repositioning of the wrecker, it was finally pulled free of the water as boats milled around off shore waiting to be pulled out.

Also, a group of about 20 spectators watched and shot pictures and video with cell phones.