( HURON COUNTY) – A stranded canoer is recovering, grateful to rescue personnel and observant witnesses after a close call on Lake Huron over the weekend.
After the wind shifted quickly off the Huron County shoreline Saturday afternoon in Sherman Township, a 36-year old Caro man was in a tight spot with no way to call for help, according to the Huron County Sheriff’s Office.
Photos from the sheriff department showed a harrowing ride back to shore as a rescue zodiac boat from the Harbor Beach fire department towed the small canoe behind them.
In a press release from the Huron County Sheriff Department, Sheriff Kelly Hanson said, a bystander camping at nearby Wagener County Park spotted a canoer waving his paddle, signaling for help several hundred yards off shore.
The Good Samaritan dialed 911. But Sheriff Hanson said, in the blink of an eye, the canoe and its sole passenger had vanished, drifting further out into the lake. Responding rescue crews found the current from strong winds had blown the man more than two miles out into open water.
No phone meant no way of calling for help and rescue crews reported no life jacket on board.
Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson urges enthusiasts to equip themselves with the proper precautions, including a personal flotation device, signal flares and a cellular phone stored securely inside a water-proof bag when heading out into the waterways this upcoming holiday weekend and all summer long.
