Friends rescued from raft as storm moves in

Collingwood water rescue A fisherman sprang into action to help two people stranded on a raft

Collingwood, Ont. — Sunday started as a pleasant day on the Collingwood Harbour.

Then the wind picked up; the sky turned ominous. Saeed Jalali knew he was in trouble.

Jalali and a friend were on an inflatable raft being blown away from shore when a storm hit. Howling winds, frequent lightning, and heavy rain were blasting the shoreline when emergency crews got the call.

While most boats had already returned to port, Kyle Lippert stopped to reel in a fish and got caught in the storm himself. He was making his way back to the harbour when he spotted Jalali’s raft.

“They looked pretty distressed,” Lippert said. “I thought I better check and see if they want to be rescued or pulled in. I tried pulling them with a rope, but their floaty was going underwater, so I said you gotta get in.”

The storm passed by quickly and police called off the search after confirming that the pair had been rescued and were back onshore.

Jalali is grateful to Lippert.

“He saved our lives, man.”