Air rescue lifts three from breakwall

Friday, 01 September 2006

By CAROL HARPER
carolharper@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - Boat runs out of gas, crashes into rocks on Cedar Point breakwall.

A 21-foot-long power boat ran out of fuel just after midnight Thursday as a Michigan dad and two teenage sons were heading toward a planned weekend stay at Cedar Point Marina.

Originally about 500 feet from the Cedar Point breakwall, six-foot-high waves pushed the 1990 Four Winds "Horizon 200" closer and closer to the rocks.

About 12:30 a.m. the boat and three occupants disappeared from the view of a 47-foot Coast Guard smallboat attempting a rescue.

The trio was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter from Sector Detroit Air Station about 1 a.m. out on the breakwall about 375 yards from shore, said Petty Officer Scott Friedhoff of Coast Guard Station Marblehead.

Sharing a float plan -- including time and place of departure, expected route, en route contact information, destination and expected time of arrival -- greatly helps rescue attempts in case a watercraft encounters trouble, Friedhoff said.

The Coast Guard first received word about a possible problem about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday from the wife of Jeffery Walters, 57, Commerce, Mich.

Walters and their two sons, Jeffery Walters II, 17, and Jonathan Walters, 15, had left about 5 p.m. from Wyandot off the Detroit River heading for the Cedar Point Marina, said Petty Officer Kaiser Hamelin, Coast Guard Air Station Detroit.

Walters had completed similar trips along the route. Walters last talked to his wife about 9:30 p.m. and said he saw the lights of Cedar Point Marina. His wife asked him to call her when they safely reached their destination, Hamelin said.

Walters didn't call back, said Hamelin.

The lake was choppy with six foot waves. About 500 feet from the breakwall, the boat ran out of fuel; Walters called 9-1-1 and was connected with the Ottawa County Sheriff's office, Friedhoff said.

The 27-foot Coast Guard boat saw the Walters' boat off the Cedar Point breakwall and attempted a rescue by boat.

"With the six-foot waves, soon it was a risky situation," Hamelin said. "Our boat wasn't able to get close enough because of the draft on our boat."

The water was eight feet deep in the area, Hamelin said.

"We stood by with that vessel so we could keep a visual on them," Hamelin said, adding the Coast Guard sent a helicopter for the rescue. "We had communication with them via radio on the boat. The last communication was that they were hitting the rocks about 12:30 a.m. We lost communication when the vessel started hitting the rocks. Then we lost the visual contact. We saw three people on the breakwall. We made sure they had life jackets on, which they did."

Since Sandusky Fire Department owns a smaller rescue boat, the Coast Guard considered sending them to the Walters family, Hamelin said. However, the lake was too rough; the attempt would have been too risky. Also, radio communications were cutting in and out between the Coast Guard and Sandusky police and fire departments.

Firefighters began a rescue on foot over the breakwall rocks, according to a report. But the helicopter arrived, lifting the three one-at-a-time within 10 minutes.

"The helicopter put its nose right into the wind and stayed with it," Friedhoff said. "It turned out to be a decent case."

The helicopter flew the Walters family to Griffing Airport, where they were checked by Sandusky and Perkins EMS crews. No injuries. The family refused transport to a hospital, according to an SPD report.

Walters later explained that when the boat hit the rocks on the breakwall, the boat tipped and the three guys climbed out onto the breakwall. The waves continued crashing the boat against the rocks. The boat eventually capsized, Friedhoff said. On Thursday, the lake remained too choppy for a salvage company to retrieve the boat, said Friedhoff, adding a small craft advisory issued by the Coast Guard Thursday might continue into today.

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