Cloudy skies and gusty winds Sunday kept float down participants from entering the water this year.
The 47th running of the unsanctioned Port Huron Float Down attracted far fewer participants.
Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Search and Rescue (SAR) Deputy Superintendent Kathleen Getty said about 600 people ventured into the St. Clair River Sunday afternoon, down significantly from about 4,000 participants in 2023.
"Oh yes, I'm sure it's the weather that's keeping people from getting in the water," said Getty. "The wind is cold and once you get wet then you can really feel it. With the wind blowing from the north, it's preventing people from launching at Chrysler Beach cause the waves are pushing them on to shore."
Getty said despite the lower numbers, the coast guard and other emergency responders were busy and assisted at least 28 people along the 12 kilometer course.
"Getting people to shore, some people were tired and it gets hard out there in this weather," said Getty. "It was taking people pretty quickly down that river with the wind and the current, they were moving pretty quickly."
She said while the float down is an inherently dangerous event and the Canadian Coast Guard encourages people to not take part, she was pleased to see more people taking proper precautions.
"This year, the people who are out there, more of them are bringing paddles with them, they're wearing PFDs, it seems like they're more prepared than in past years," said Getty. "It is a smaller group too, but I feel like I've seen a lot more paddles this year than I have in the past. So that's a good thing, it allows people to control where they're going."
The float down made international headlines in 2016, when 1,500 U.S. residents, many without identification, were pushed 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 and Rescue were also patrolling during the event.
Vessel traffic on the St. Clair River was restricted from the Blue Water Bridge to the upper end of Stag Island between noon and 7 p.m.
