Close call for salmon fishermen

OPP NEWS RELEASE

*********************** Boaters rescued by fellow angler

(Blind River, Ont.) On Sunday afternoon 22 Aug. two persons from Elliot Lake were aboard an 18 foot fishing boat in Lake Huron.

The pair had been salmon fishing between Muldrun Bay and Blind River.

They encountered motor trouble and their auxiliary motor was not strong enough to keep them ahead of the turbulent seas in the North Channel.

The water overcame the boat and the boat began to sink.

The pair had no marine radio or cell phone but did have a flashlight, which they used to signal another fisherman for assistance.

A boater from Espanola who was in the area had seen the two and tried to contact them via radio without success, when he saw the light he went to investigate.

In the short time he took to reach the pair they boat was submerged and the two were clinging to the bow of the boat.

The rescuer contacted the Joint Search and Rescue Co-ordination center via radio and advised that he was returning the stranded boaters to Blind River.

The distressed boaters were no doubt saved by the Good Samaritan and the fact that they had floater coats and the flashlight that they had on board.

The two were suffering from mild hypothermia upon reaching Blind River but refused medical treatment before driving home.

The vessel was not recovered and may still be floating the North Channel.

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