MANISTEE -- A rescue boat crew from Coast Guard Station Manistee, Mich., assisted three boaters aboard a disabled vessel in Lake Michigan, Sunday morning.
All three individuals were wearing life jackets and there were no reported injuries.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan, in Milwaukee, received a distress call sent from the vessel via marine band radio at about 6:30 a.m.
The boat crew from Station Manistee launched aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-Small and found the vessel drifting against the Manistee breakwall. The boat crew safely towed the disabled vessel to the 1st Street boat ramp.
Life jackets save lives. Drowning is the leading cause of death in boating-related mishaps. And, most boating fatalities are the result of unexpected falls overboard, either while a vessel is underway or drifting. Of those who drown, 90 percent were not wearing a life jacket. Wearing a life jacket helps ensure a boater stays afloat so they can either self-rescue or be rescued by other boaters in the area.
