Ohio boaters pulled from lake

By Mark Ribble

KINGSVILLE — Two Ohio men are in hospital and another is counting his lucky stars after a harrowing night on Lake Erie on Labour Day weekend.

What started out as a cruise from Put-In-Bay to Vermillion, Ohio, ended near the shores of Kingsville.

The trio’s boat ran into trouble as the storms came up late Sunday night into Monday morning, and the waves carried the 32-foot pleasure craft all the way to Canadian waters, partially capsizing it in the process. The boaters had no idea they were in Canada. With the U.S. Coast Guard unable to locate the trio, a GPS signal was picked up on this side of the lake and Kingsville Fire Department sent their rescue boat out into heavy waves.

According to Kingsville Fire Chief Chuck Parsons, their marine rescue boat capsized as well, and two Kingsville firefighters had to be treated at hospital for minor injuries.

A 32-foot pleasure craft from Ohio bobs in the water along the rocky Kingsville shoreline in this Monday, September 7 photo. Two Ohio boaters and two Kingsville firefighters were transported to hospital during the rescue.

Sun photo

“Thankfully, our guys were wearing PFDs and emergent suits,” said Parsons.

Two of the three Americans were eventually brought to shore by the waves and plucked from the rocks by Kingsville Fire personnel, with the third being picked up in the water.

The condition of the two hospitalized boaters was not available at press time.

The heavily-listing boat was still bobbing against the rocky shoreline near Kingsville Harbour on Monday afternoon. Plans were underway to retrieve it and get it back to the United States.