ESSEXVILLE -- The Coast Guard rescued two men and two young boys, Tuesday morning, who spent 14 hours in the waters of Lake Huron after their boat capsized Monday night.
NBC25 has learned the names of those rescued.
Dakota Mack, a 12-year-old boy from Midland, and Jack Fisher, an 11-year-old boy from Linden, were the two children involved in the incident.
The adults were Brian Mack, who is Dakota's father, and his friend Ryan. Dakota is a student at Bullock Creek Middle School in Midland Township.
They boys were reunited with their mothers at 10:30 a.m. Brandy Nothstine of Midland is Dakota's mom and she told NBC25 that Dakota is getting ready to compete in a triathalon this weekend. Heather Secco of Linden is Jack's mother.
A search-and-rescue coordinator from Coast Guard Sector Detroit received a report, Monday night, of an overdue vessel with four people aboard, from the owner of the boat, who reportedly lent it to friends for the day. The owner said that he expected the group to return no later than sunset Monday night and that the group stated they were departing Au Gres toward Saginaw Bay.
Their last known location was five miles southwest of Au Gres. A rescue aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Detroit located an overturned 18-foot fishing boat and three of the boaters, all wearing life jackets, in the water at 7:23 a.m. A nearby boater pulled them out of the water and transferred them to aboard a 41-foot Utility Boat from Coast Guard Station Saginaw River, in Essexville.
They were transported to Saginaw River Boat Ramp in stable condition and declined medical services. The fourth boater, who reportedly left the group to swim to shore, was located and rescued by a boatcrew from Station Tawas, in East Tawas, at 8:30 a.m.
He was wearing a life jacket. He was also taken to the Saginaw River Boat Ramp, where he declined medical services. “The search and rescue efforts of the search party were greatly assisted by the quick response of the vessel's owner and the filing of a float plan,” said Lt. Justin Westmiller, command center supervisor and search-and-rescue mission coordinator at Sector Detroit.
