Float Plan Results in Rescue of Three Lake Erie Boaters
CLEVELAND — A float plan was the key to sucess in the rescue of three people and a dog who were found stranded on their grounded boat on Middle Sister Island in Lake Erie Wednesday afternoon following a search by the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards, multiple state and local agencies, and a good Samaritan.
“It’s important for mariners to remember to bring along proper signaling gear, such as a marine radio, flares or even a cell phone,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Gabriel Settel, the assistant command center chief at Coast Guard Sector Detroit. “Letting someone know where you are going is just as important as safety gear, and in this case resulted in lives saved.”
Just before 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, the watchstander at Coast Guard Station Toledo, Ohio, received a report of an overdue 17-foot yellow, black and white boat with three people and a dog aboard. The reporting source stated the boaters had left the previous evening from Lake Erie Metropark and had yet to return. She said the last she heard from them was shortly before 10 p.m. when they stated they were having trouble finding their way back to shore. Read more
September brings many things, but for bird hunters, it’s the month they’ve been waiting for since last year. Sept. 15 marks the opening day of ruffed grouse season in Michigan, the time when trucks hit public land two-tracks in search of prime hunting spots.

