Coast Guard urges safety during un-sanctioned float down event

U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Pablo Mendoza, officer in charge of Coast Guard Station Port Huron, Mich., briefs emergency responders and law enforcement officers at Station Port Huron Aug. 16, 2015, before the start of the unsanctioned marine event known as the Port Huron Float Down, during which more than 1,000 people gather on the third Sunday of August each year to float 7.5 miles down the St. Clair River between Port Huron and Marysville, Mich., on the border of the U.S. and Canada in inflatable and makeshift rafts. More than a dozen federal, state and local agencies from the U.S. and Canada teamed up to monitor safety of participants, enforce safety zones and life jacket regulations and ensure participants did not illegally cross international boundaries. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Lauren Jorgensen) Teenagers who were left stranded in the St. Clair River when their raft deflated are transferred from a Canadian Coast Guard boat to a U.S. Coast Guard boat from Station Port Huron, Mich., Aug. 16, 2015, during the unsanctioned marine event known as the Port Huron Float Down, at which more than a thousand people gather on the third Sunday of August each year to float 7.5 miles down the St. Clair River between Port Huron and Marysville, Mich., on the border of the U.S. and Canada in inflatable and makeshift rafts. The event has no official organizer and poses significant and unusual hazards given the fast-moving current, large number of participants, lack of life jackets, alcohol consumption, potentially challenging weather conditions, water temperature, and limited rescue resources. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Lauren Jorgensen)

PORT HURON, Mich. — The U.S. Coast Guard, Canadian Coast Guard, and multiple state and local agencies are advising the boating public that the St. Clair River will be secured to all motor vessel traffic between the hours of 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday during the un-sanctioned marine event known as the Port Huron Float Down. 

The U.S. Coast Guard established a temporary regulation requiring minors under the age of 18 to wear life jackets during the event due to the high number of rafters expected to transit the 7.5 mile course on the St. Clair River between Lighthouse Beach in Port Huron, Michigan, and Chrysler Beach in Marysville, Michigan.

Float Down poses significant and unusual hazards given the fast-moving current, large number of participants, lack of life jackets, alcohol consumption, potentially challenging weather conditions, water temperature, and limited rescue resources.  Those who do participate despite local, state, federal, and international safety advisories are strongly encouraged to take the following precautions:

• If you insist on bringing children, they must wear an appropriately sized, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times, and regardless of age or ability to swim, you are encouraged to wear an appropriately sized, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times as well.
• File a float plan with someone not participating who can report your intentions to the U.S. Coast Guard in the event you do not check-in at the scheduled time. Electronic float plans can be filed quickly and easily using the United States Coast Guard smartphone app, available on the App Store and Google Play.
• Bring waterproof bags for personal items and identification.
• Never go alone. Use the buddy system, keep an eye on each other, and immediately report incidents of distress to the nearest first responder.
• Refrain from consuming alcohol immediately prior to or during the event.
• Dress appropriately for the weather and cold water. Use a raft that limits your immersion in the water and can be controlled with oars or paddles.
• Stay near shore and remain out of the navigation channel.

In 2015, first responders saved nine lives and assisted 285 people. More than 150 people became separated from the group they started floating down the river with, and about 1,850 people had to be assisted back across the border after wind blew them into Canadian waters. Emergency medical services assisted seven people and transported four to the hospital. 

Lower water temperatures pose an additional hazard. The mid-August water temperature in the St. Clair River averages in the high 60s (Fahrenheit).  Immersion in water below approximately 70 degrees can lead to hypothermia, impaired physical motor functions, and a reduced ability to self help or swim. Early signs of hypothermia include shivering and loss of coordination and judgment.  

Strong river currents under the Blue Water Bridge and westerly winds have pushed past participants beyond the navigable channel and onto the Canadian shoreline leaving them subject to Canadian border security and stranded, often without identification, money and means of communication.

In past years, southerly winds have also slowed rafters’ progress, leading to more than six hours of time on the river from Port Huron to Marysville.  This extended time on the St. Clair River, with limited public access locations for landing prior to Marysville, makes people even more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, hypothermia, and other challenging environmental conditions.

All traffic requesting to enter the safety zone must receive approval from the patrol commander, Coast Guard Station Port Huron, via VHF channel 21A.

For additional information, contact Lt. Ben Chamberlain, the public affairs officer for U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit at (313) 568-9587.