Cloudy skies and gusty winds prevented the Float Down participants from entering the water on Sunday this year.
The 47th edition of the unauthorized Port Huron Float Down attracted far fewer participants.
Kathleen Getty, deputy chief of the Canadian Coast Guard’s (CCG) Search and Rescue (SAR) unit, said about 600 people ventured onto the St. Clair River on Sunday afternoon, a significant decrease from the approximately 4,000 participants expected in 2023.
“Oh yeah, I’m sure it’s the weather that’s keeping people from getting in the water,” Getty said. “The wind is cold and once you get wet you really feel it. The wind is blowing from the north and it’s keeping people from getting in the water at Chrysler Beach because the waves are pushing them onto the shore.”
Getty said that despite the smaller numbers, the Coast Guard and other rescue workers have been diligent, helping at least 28 people along the 12-kilometer (7.5-mile) stretch.
“Some of them were tired when we got people ashore, and it’s tough in this weather,” Getty said. “With the wind and the current, they went down the river pretty quickly, they made pretty good progress.”
She said that while floating is inherently a dangerous event and the Canadian Coast Guard advises people not to take part, she is pleased to see more people taking appropriate precautions.
“This year, more people who are out there are bringing paddles, they’re wearing life jackets, it seems like they’re more prepared than in years past,” Getty said. “It’s also a smaller group, but I feel like I’ve seen a lot more paddling this year than in the past. So that’s a good thing because it allows people to control where they’re going.”
The hunt made international headlines in 2016 when 1,500 US citizens, many of them without identification papers, were driven across the river to Canada in strong winds.
In 2014, a 19-year-old experienced swimmer from Michigan drowned.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Sarnia Fire Department were also on patrol during the event.
Boat traffic on the St. Clair River was restricted from the Blue Water Bridge to the upper end of Stag Island between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m.
