DNR, Coast Guard rescue hypothermic boaters from Lake St. Clair
Sept. 28, 2026
Contact: Acting 1st Lt. Jason Becker, 313-396-6890
Following a Saturday morning rescue effort involving Michigan Department of Natural of Resources and U.S. Coast Guard personnel, a father and son were hospitalized for hypothermia after they became stranded in Lake St. Clair offshore of Grosse Pointe (Wayne County).
The two boaters were setting a buoy course for a sailboat race when a line became tangled around their propeller. The father went into the water to untangle the line but was unable to get back into the boat.
Lake St. Clair water temperature Saturday morning was in the low 60s. Air temperatures were in the 50s at the time of the rescue.
At 8:29 a.m., the son called 911 for help. While on the phone with Macomb County dispatchers, the son fell into the water and also was unable to get back into the boat.
Dispatchers from the DNR’s Report All Poaching Hotline helped pinpoint the boaters’ specific location for officers – 3 miles offshore from the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.
At 9:30 a.m., DNR Conservation Officers Kris Kiel and Brad Silorey safely secured the father on their DNR vessel and immediately provided care for signs of hypothermia. A Coast Guard vessel arrived at the same time, and the crew was able to secure the son aboard the USCG vessel.
The DNR and USCG transported both men to the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, where medics were waiting. Both men were immediately transported to the hospital by ambulance. Read more








