This year's Port Huron Float Down saw a lot more floaties and inflatable devices on the St. Clair River.
Authorities estimate that about 4,000 participants entered the river at Lighthouse Beach in Port Huron, Michigan. That's up from between 500 to 1,000 people last year.
"Over the past couple of years the weather hasn't been the greatest, so I think that worked to deter a lot of individuals from floating down in the past years," said Canadian Coast Guard Search and Rescue Deputy Superintendent Kathleen Getty. "But Sunday was pretty nice weather, so I think that called a lot of people to the water."
Getty said overall things went smoothly.
"We had a fair amount of Canadian floaters this year and no casualties," she said. "It was overall a good day. We had roughly assisted, on the Canadian side, I would say about 50 were assisted and one life saved."
Getty said she was pleased to see a lot of participants wearing life jackets and using paddles.
"Yes it's unsanctioned, it's one of those events that we do not encourage people to be a part of, but it will happen and we have to ensure that we keep people safe."
In 2014, a 19-year-old experienced swimmer drowned during the event.
In 2016, about 1,500 American participants were blown to the Canadian shoreline in a storm and required assistance returning to the United States.
The U.S. Coast Guard, OPP, Sarnia Police Service, RCMP, Sarnia Fire and Rescue Services and Point Edward Fire Department were all patrolling during the float down.
Vessel traffic on the St. Clair River was restricted from the Blue Water Bridge to the upper end of Stag Island until about 5 p.m.
