CLEVELAND — The Coast Guard assisted 3 boaters after their 20-foot boat struck a buoy on the St. Clair River near Marysville, Michigan, late Monday evening.
The names of the boaters are not being released and there is no Coast Guard imagery or video available.
Just before 10:30 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Detroit received a call from a concerned citizen reporting that she had heard a loud bang that sounded like a collision near Stag Island and lighted buoy 58 on the St. Clair River.
Sector Detroit diverted a crew from Coast Guard Station Port Huron, aboard a 45-foot response boat, to investigate and issued an urgent marine information broadcast to notify mariners of a situation, ask them to keep a sharp lookout, assist if possible and report all sightings to the nearest Coast Guard unit.
The crew arrived on scene and and found a 20-foot pleasure craft with three people aboard. The vessel's operator confirmed that their vessel had hit the buoy after losing steering control.
One passenger had a small head injury and the vessel had minor damage but was not taking on water. Coast Guard crew members provided first aid and took the vessel in a side-tow to the River Crab Restaurant dock in St. Clair, Michigan.
"It's important to give your vessel a quick inspection before leaving the dock," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Trevor Manners, a coxswain at Station Port Huron. "Just like on a car, routine maintenance on your boat can help prevent any issues from becoming potentially dangerous problems in the future."
A post-case boarding was conducted on the vessel and verified the loss of steering.
There are no reports of pollution and the buoy was verified to have been on station and watching properly.