It was smooth sailing for participants in Sunday’s Port Huron Float Down.
Despite an expectation of potential storms and rainfall, the event went mostly unhindered according to participants and the U.S. Coast Guard in Port Huron.
Boatswain’s Mate Senior Chief Petty Officer David Perrin estimated about 500 people participated in the Aug. 16 Float Down.
“It’s been smooth all day,” Perrin said. “The water’s been completely still.”
People started landing at and around Chrysler Beach between 3 and 4 p.m. Several people noted there was some wind coming from the south that caused some difficulty, but otherwise it was one of the calmest Float Downs on record.
Bob McGovern came from Grosse Pointe to join in the event with his wife. He knows the risks weather can bring all to well, his first Float Down was in 2014 when an estimated 1,500 people were blown across the river into Canada. He said the anticipation of storms likely caused less people to participate.
“It turned out to be a beautiful day for it, though,” McGovern said. “It’s been a great time. We took our time though, we didn’t really move, we just sort of floated with our kayak.”
Rochielle Goulette, Theresa Cobb and Lucy Marier, sisters from Marysville, watched the floaters go by from a parking lot off of Gratiot Boulevard. The three said they wanted to watch the event because its the 50th anniversary of the original Float Down, and because they like to see the unique floats people put together.
The trio were a bit disappointed this year. They said most of the people they saw were in kayaks, something they said seemed to be a growing trend for the event.
Jeff Bellinger, a Port Huron native, joined the float down in one of the more unique vehicles, an aqua cycle. Bellinger has participated in the event for 20 years and he noted that kayaks became more popular after the 2014 Float Down because they were easier to control than floaties, reducing the risk of ending up in Canada or otherwise off course.
By 6 p.m., Perrin said the river had been reopened to some traffic and the last of the participants were finishing. He said about 40 people had to be assisted, either because they were tired or because the wind had blown them off course, but there were no reported injuries or major incidents.
“The whole event went really smooth, we brough (those people) back to Desmond Landing without any issues,” Perrin said. “We appreciate the help of the community and the help of local law enforcement in keeping this event safe.”
Contact Johnathan Hogan at jhogan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Port Huron Float Down sees smooth sailing
Reporting by Johnathan Hogan, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Johnathan Hogan, Port Huron Times Herald | USA TODAY Network
