Two boat crews were stranded and required assistance Wednesday afternoon, according to Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson.
Huron Central Dispatch received a distress call around 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, from a worker on an out of state environmental company pontoon boat. The caller reported that his boat, which was offshore about a half mile northwest of Caseville Township’s SandPoint, and another company boat were conducting environmental sampling in the area when they ran aground in shallow water and became stuck.
He further reported that though he believed they weren’t in danger, the wind had picked up and the water was getting rougher.
It was decided that the Caseville Fire Department would respond in their rescue boat and would attempt to help the stranded boat crews. If the firemen were unable to move the stranded boats, the plan was to bring the crews ashore. Dressed in cold water gear, firemen entered the water and pushed on the vessels, managing to push them to deeper water after about 15 minutes.
The rescue boat then led the two boats to a private launch ramp in a canal of a nearby homeowners association, with all boats pulled out and the scene cleared without further incident.
