Accidental tourists would rather swim than face Canada Customs

SARNIA • Americans on inflatable rafts that drifted across the border from Michigan in high winds on Sunday were so fearful of landing on Canada’s shores without passports that some of them tried to swim home.

The unsanctioned St. Clair River Float Down was scheduled to begin at 1 p. m. in Port Huron, Mich., with thousands of participants setting out on the often alcohol-fuelled event, riding on inflatable rafts, dinghies and inner tubes. They were supposed to land at Chrysler Beach in Marysville.

But winds gusting up to 40 km/ h pushed 1,500 participants into Canadian waters, and prevented them from paddling back to the Michigan side of the river.

“We knew this was going to happen,” said Peter Garapick, superintendent of search and rescue for the Canadian Coast Guard.

It was only a question of how many would end up on Canada’s shores.

“There’s only one place to go when you’re in the middle of the Canadian river there, and that’s the Canadian side,” Garapick said.

Some of the Americans blown into Sarnia Harbour and Sarnia Bay were “so desperate, they were terrified of coming to Canada without a passport,” Garapick said.

“Those were the people we had our eye on because they were just jumping in and saying, ‘ I’m swimming back home.’”

Officials f orced t hem back on their floats, and reassured them they wouldn’t be in trouble if they landed on the Canadian shore, he said. U. S. police boat crews were also working near the Sarnia shore, reassuring stranded floaters it was all right to go ashore.

Only minor injuries were reported, most were the result of people falling while climbing out of the river.

“Mostly scrapes, maybe a couple of twisted ankles and things like that,” said Sarnia Const. Giovanni Sottosanti.

The stranded Americans were put on Sarnia Transit buses and delivered to U. S. Customs on the Blue Water Bridge. Lee Patterson, deputy director of Sarnia Transit, said nine buses made approximately 19 trips, between 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.

“They were in pretty good spirits for the most part,” Patterson said. “Towards the end of the evening, when it started to rain, some of them were getting a little cold. So, I think Sarnia police contacted Red Cross and they came out and brought some blankets to keep people warm.”

Sarnia city workers spent several hours Monday picking up beer cans, coolers, rafts — even picnic tables — that washed up on the Canadian shore, said spokeswoman Katarina Ovens. “I guess they were on the rafts,” she said of the picnic tables.