Water Rescue Successful, But It Takes A While

ESSEXVILLE, Mich.  (WWJ) - A boat stranded in Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay was aided by both the training and technology of the rescuing Coast Guard crew.

A 20-foot vessel with two adults and two kids aboard lost power and started drifting. A call for help was made, but was not reported until eight hours later.

The Coast Guard radioed the boat, but those on the stranded vessel could not respond - sending back only static. So the rescuers used triangulation of the static signal to find the boat.

A helicopter from Detroit helped discover the ship.

No one aboard was injured.

The Coast Guard issued this cautionary warning:

Mariners should file a float plan with a trusted shore-side contact, telling where you are going and when you'll be back, and if anything changes to update their float plan.

The Coast Guard also reminds mariners to ensure that they are carrying all of the proper safety equipment, such as flares, a VHF-FM radio, and other emergency signaling and communication devices on board their vessel.