(CASEVILLE TOWNSHIP) – Shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon, Huron County sheriff deputies responded to the north shore of the 8900 block of Crescent Beach Rd. in Caseville Twp., to the scene of a possible distressed boat.
Deputies were not able to communicate with the occupants at anchor between 500′ and 1000′ offshore. Winds continued to increase to 30 mph out of the northeast with five foot waves.
Around 6 p.m.. deputies say an unknown boat arrived and attempted to take the distressed boat into tow, however, that boat ended up taking a wave and was swamped, rendering it disabled.
The stranded boat went back to anchor and the swamped boat drifted into shore. Sheriff Kelly Hanson said the tow boat was eventually destroyed, being beaten against a steel breakwall in the rough water.
Around 7:30 Sheriff Hanson said a second tow boat arrived and took the damaged 22′ 1946 Cris-Craft to shore despite it being struck with large waves.
Scheurer EMS personnel checked the stranded boaters out but they refused further treatment.
The 54′ year old boat owner from Caro told Deputies they had begun their boat trip earlier in the day with calmer water and westerly winds.
Once they became disabled, the wind eventually turned and increased, causing the boat to struggle.
