Incidents in the Great Lakes.
Documented sailing emergencies in the Great Lakes — 3 records, each with sources, lessons, and links to the SeaWise procedures involved. Search by the water you're about to sail.
← Search & filter the full LogbookA yacht ran aground near the Port Austin Reef Lighthouse, at the tip of Michigan's Thumb on Lake Huron, around late June 2026. Local coverage reported two people rescued without injury. A separate Coast Guard account from the same period describes a single injured sailor hoisted by helicopter after a Lake Huron grounding near Port Austin — whether these are one incident or two is not confirmed.
A sailboat capsized on Lake Erie off Bay Village, Ohio around 8 p.m. on 27 June 2026. A resident ashore saw two people in the water beside the overturned hull and called for help. A Westlake police drone found both — one had drifted about 40 feet from the boat — and an Ohio DNR boat brought them ashore. Both were wearing life jackets and were unharmed.
A family of five from L'Anse, Michigan ran their 31-foot sailboat onto rocks about halfway across Keweenaw Bay while crossing Lake Superior from the Portage Canal to L'Anse Marina on 2 June 2026. They called 911 immediately, and within 30 minutes Michigan DNR conservation officers launched a patrol boat and brought all five ashore in good condition. The boat, stuck but undamaged, was left for a salvage company.