.png)
File photo courtesy of Oceana County Sheriff’s Office.
Rescuers call off search before storms
GOLDEN TOWNSHIP — After receiving a “Mayday” call late Monday night, June 24, emergency crews searched Lake Michigan between the Little Sable Point Lighthouse and Pentwater looking for a watercraft in distress, but no boat was found, according to a press release from Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast.
Mayday is an internationally recognized radio word to signal distress.
“On Monday June 24, 2024 at approximately 11:07 p.m., we were dispatched to a report of a water emergency on Lake Michigan,” states Mast in a press release. “Mason-Oceana 911 received a call from the U.S. Coast Guard indicating that a person had put a “Mayday” call over the marine radio.
“Information from the U.S. Coast Guard was that the transmission was somewhere between the Pentwater Harbor and the Little Point Sable Lighthouse. There was no other information provided by the person on the marine radio.
“Oceana County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division, along with the Michigan DNR, and the Mason County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division responded. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched from Wisconsin and assisted in the search as well.
“Our Pentwater Lake rescue boat is equipped with radar as well as FLIR (forward looking infrared) to assist with nighttime rescue operations.
“The Hart Area Fire Department and Silver Lake State Park DNR staff also responded to assist in trying to locate the boat in distress. Having people on land at critical vantage points are extremely helpful in determining where a boat may be located.
“After extensive search efforts by the responding boats, the U.S. Coast Guard determined that the search should be called off, as there was no other information confirming anyone was in distress.
“All four boat crews made it back to their ports safely prior to the overnight storms coming on shore.”
_________________________
Support Local News
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month.
The easiest way is to sign up for an automatic monthly payment on Paypal. Click this link.
Alternative methods:
- We can send you an invoice each month, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454.
- We also accept Venmo payments.
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
If you would like to support MCP/OCP but do not wish to receive daily emails, please consider sending a contribution to any of the above methods or pay by Venmo (@masoncountypress). We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2024, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454.
.jpg)
