The weather and perhaps the pandemic and its potential legal consequences, took some wind out of the sails of the annual Port Huron Float Down Sunday.
The 43rd running of the unsanctioned event appeared to attract far fewer participants.
In past years, thousands have taken part, entering the St. Clair River just north of the Blue Water Bridge on various types of floatation devices and letting the swift current take them downstream to Marysville, Michigan.
Canadian Coast Guard helicopter patrolling St. Clair River during float down Aug. 16, 2020 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)
Each year authorities warn against the venture, citing the inherent dangers, but this year the pandemic and its border restrictions threatened to further complicate matters.
Canada border, coast guard, RCMP and Sarnia police were out in full force again Sunday, monitoring the event from the air, on the water and on shore. It appeared, for the most part, the floaters were able to keep to the American side of the international waterway. First responders marshalled at the foot of Ferry Dock Hill on the Canadian side did not seem to have much to do.
Heavy thunderstorms Sunday morning had cleared the area by the beginning of the event at around 1 p.m. but shortly after 2 p.m. more rain came.
In 2016, a wind shift sent some 1,500 floaters to the Canadian shore, most of them Americans without proper identification. They had to be rounded up, processed by Canadian authorities and transported back to Michigan.
In 2014 a 19-year-old Michigan man drowned during the float down.
