Page 22 - 2014 Lake St. Clair Guide

The Marine Sheriff's
Update

Last year was a good year for both the Marine Dive Team and for
the Marine Sheriff! Compared with 2012's seven fatalities, we had
zero on the water fatalities for 2013.

However, it was business as usual during the Raft Off and Job-

bie Nooner Sergeant Don Berg
where there St. Clair Marine
were 7 or Sheriff Division
8 propel-

ler injuries

where boat-

ers attempt-

ed to enter

boats with

engines in

gear, along

with several

assaults and

fights.

What are the most common problems during our big events? Last

year Sergeant Berg said there were probably 20,000 people at the

annual Raft Off in Muscamoot Bay, maybe as many as 10,000

boats... the most he had ever witnessed. Because of the crowd size,

boat passengers had problems remembering where their boat was

and captains were leaving the area without them! Over a dozen pas-

sengers that had been stranded by their captains were brought back

to the Sheriff Department, including girls shivering with only their

I was looking for a map from the 1970's to find where Catfish Creek bikini on waiting for someone to pick them
up. Sergeant Berg wants to remind captains
is on Lake St. Clair and stumbled upon this old map of the South Channel
there is always potential legal liability since

off Lake St. Clair from 1857. Note the boundry of the U.S. and Great Britain! a captain is responsible for his passengers

at all times.

The Sheriff is still handing out a lot of tick-
ets to boaters in the No Wake Zones. A re-
view of these zones (Page 9) mostly located
in the St. Clair Flats is advised by Sergeant
Berg. Even if there are no "NO WAKE"
buoys present, it is our responsibility to
know Continued on page 26......

Biggest Ticket Area for Boaters...still
“Tickets can be handed out all day

on the Middle Channel on the stretch
in front of Brown’s Restaurant”, says
Sergeant Berg. There is a mile or so of
waterway that requires boats 26’ and

over to have “no wake.”

Page 22 26’ and under can maintain their
speed, but they have to be 200 feet
from the shoreline... and this area is
fairly narrow...so probably best for
everyone to do a no wake if there is a
lot of boat traffic.” See the “No Wake
Zone” charts to review on page 9.

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