The United States Coast Guard is crediting the help of Good Samaritans on Lake Erie for coming to the rescue of nine people aboard a sinking boat near Pelee Island. The Pelee Islander II was one of the vessels to respond to a ‘Mayday’ call around 4:15 p.m. Sunday. The CEO of Owen Sound Transportation Company says the ferry carrying passengers and vehicles to Kingsville abruptly changed course as it was leaving Pelee Island and headed out to Chicken Island. A public affairs officer with the U.S. Coast Guard says a 25-foot vessel from Sandusky, Ohio hit a sandbar in Canadian waters and took on water. The ferry launched a Zodiac just as the coast guard arrived and brought the adults and children, who all wore life jackets, to safety. Their boat, however, sank.
