Weather service issues warning for small boats ahead of Port Huron sinking
The National Weather Service in Detroit issued a small boat warning for all coastal waters of Lake Huron on Sunday in advance of the annual Port Huron Float Down.
The weather service announced Sunday morning that the warning was in effect from 4 p.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. Tuesday from Harbor Beach to Port Huron and from 10 p.m. Sunday to 10 p.m. Monday from inner Saginaw Bay to Lake St. Clair.
According to the weather service, northerly winds of 20 to 25 knots could reach gusts of up to 30 knots and produce waves of 1.8 to 2.4 metres high, with a maximum height of 3.3 metres.
The unsanctioned Port Huron Float Down begins on Sunday afternoon in Lake Huron, north of the mouth of the St. Clair River. Participants stay briefly in the lake before setting off for the approximately 11-kilometer course into the St. Clair River.
According to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, boat traffic on the St. Clair River will be closed from noon to 7 p.m.
“Rainy weather is forecast,” the office said in a social media post on Saturday. “Please exercise caution before starting your journey.”
The U.S. Coast Guard advises against participating in the event every year, warning of the strong currents in the river, the cold water temperatures and the large number of participants who drink alcohol and do not wear flotation devices.
In a joint statement last week, U.S. Coast Guard Captain Brad W. Kelly and Canadian Coast Guard Deputy Commissioner Marc-Andre Meunier recommended that individuals not participate in the event because they believe it is an “inherently dangerous activity.”
They urged those who insisted on participating to wear a personal flotation device, abstain from alcohol, prepare for the weather, keep a government-issued ID in a waterproof bag, bring a paddle and label the flotation devices with names and contact information so that first responders can rule out potential missing persons if a flotation device is found empty. The sheriff’s office also pointed out that disembarking on private property is considered trespassing.
At the 2014 event, a 19-year-old participant drowned, and in 2016, high winds and heavy rains drove 1,500 participants to the Canadian coast without the necessary paperwork to cross the border and without transportation to return to Michigan.
In 2020, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police warned that people drifting on the river and crossing the border – which was closed during the pandemic – could face a $750,000 fine or up to six months in prison.
