LAKE HURON, Mich. – The U.S. Coast Guard rescued an injured sailor after his vessel ran aground on Lake Huron south of Calcite, prompting an overnight response involving a rescue boat, helicopter crew, and rescue swimmer.
Watchstanders at Sector Northern Great Lakes received a mayday call on Channel 16 at approximately 9:36 p.m. Monday (June 22) from a 62-year-old man aboard a 32-foot sailing vessel.
The mariner reported that his boat had sustained damage to its keel after running aground, but was not taking on water.
A crew from Coast Guard Station St. Ignace launched a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium at 10:22 p.m. and arrived near the vessel shortly before midnight.
After the boat crew arrived, the mariner reportedly suffered an injury.
Rescue efforts were complicated when the vessel drifted farther into shallow water, preventing the response boat from reaching it safely.
Watchstanders then coordinated with Air Station Traverse City, which launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to assist.
The helicopter crew arrived on scene and deployed a rescue swimmer at approximately 2 a.m. on June 23, 2026.
The swimmer successfully reached the stranded mariner, who was then hoisted aboard the aircraft and transported to Air Station Traverse City.
Emergency medical personnel met the helicopter at the air station before transporting the man to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City for further treatment.
The Coast Guard did not release information on the extent of the man’s injuries, and no additional details on the vessel’s condition were immediately available.
The incident remains under Coast Guard review.
For more information, please contact Lt. Hanna Robinson, Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City Public Affairs Officer at 216-902-6020 or via email Hanna.J.Robinson@uscg.mil.