A Saginaw boat operator required a tow from the Huron County Sheriff Department’s patrol boat Monday evening, following difficulties while sailing.
Huron County Central Dispatch received a call around 6:15 p.m. on Monday, October 6, from a Port Austin resident who was observing an abnormal acting sailboat offshore. The resident reported that loud noises could be heard from what was thought to be the boat’s motor, with the boat moving slowly and as if the craft was having steering difficulties.
Sheriff Kelly Hanson responded via the department’s Port Austin patrol boat, being accompanied by Port Austin Fireman Jack Zimmerman. They eventually made contact with the lone occupant and operator of the sailboat, about three miles west-northwest of Port Austin.
The Saginaw sailor was heading west at a slow pace, with a conversation revealing that he was attempting to get to Bay City after buying the boat in Detroit. He had been awake for nearly 36 hours at this point, and his journey had been plagued with mechanical issues and other incidents, leading him to gladly accept the sheriff’s offer to tow him to the Port Austin harbor.
Despite some worries about weather, as a storm system was moving in and lightning could be seen in the distance, the tow took place without incident, and the 28-foot sailboat was tied to a dock before the wind increased to 25 mph gusts. Sheriff Kelly Hanson notes that the sailor and his boat could have been pushed onto the reef he had been sailing near and wrecked, if he hadn’t been taken into tow.
