GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. — A Great Lakes freighter went off-course to find and rescue a missing jet skier last week on Lake Superior.
According to the call log from the Cook County Sheriff's Office, the man from Alexandria, Virginia, took a jet ski out to Isle Royale from Grand Portage. He called a friend, saying he had hit a fog bank, couldn't see and was running out of gas.
That friend, who was in Florida, called the sheriff's office, which called the Coast Guard, who contacted the M/V Michipicoten. The 698-foot, 22,000-ton-bearing ship was headed toward Sault Ste. Marie, not far from the last known location of the jet ski. They got the call from the Coast Guard at about 11 p.m. on Monday, July 8.
“After receiving the call, without hesitation we proceeded toward the coordinates provided by USCG," said Captain Jonathan Barnes in a press release. "The gentleman on the jet ski had managed to have cell range for only a short period to make a call to the USCG."
Assisted by a Coast Guard helicopter, along with help from Cook County in pinpointing coordinates, the ship made its way to the man.
Captain Barnes said the crew did an "amazing job" retrieving both the man and his jet ski. They decided to bring him to Sault Ste. Marie, where he could make plans to return to his family.
The rescue happened at about 2 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9.
“Thank you to the crew of the Michipicoten for all your efforts for bringing this gentleman home safe to his family,” said Captain Gerry Ray, Vice President of Operations at Lower Lakes Towing, which operates the ship.
Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen said his agency had little to do with the rescue, except to relay the call to the Coast Guard.
"Lake Superior can be a wonderful resource to enjoy, whether boating, fishing or swimming, but it can also turn deadly when weather changes," he said in a statement to KARE 11. "It has been my experience in 50+ years of living on its shore that watercraft, no matter the size are at the mercy of the lake and the weather patterns which emerge quickly. Everyone who recreates on the lake should always have adequate emergency gear and methods for contact when situations arise."
