Canoeist, 19, from Saline dies near Mackinac Bridge
A 19-year-old Saline man was found dead Monday in the Straits of Mackinac after he attempted to canoe from a nearby campsite, authorities said.
Lt. Michael Keiser of the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office said Jacob Greaves left by himself in a canoe around 4 a.m. Monday from a family campsite off Esther Lane in Wawatam Township.
At approximately 1:07 p.m., a citizen called 911 after finding his body in the water, Keiser said in a news release today.
The United States Coast Guard found Greaves in the water just west of the Mackinac Bridge and took him back to the Mackinaw City Marina. Greaves was pronounced dead minutes later, Keiser said.
Police said Greaves had attempted to canoe to either Mackinac Island or Saint Ignace earlier Monday morning. It was not clear what led to his death.
Authorities from the United States Coast Guard said Tuesday they had not yet recovered Greaves' canoe.
The Emmet County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate.
Greaves attended Saline High School, according to information posted on his Facebook page.
A report from the Emmet County Medical Examiner is pending.
Heidi Fenton covers police and courts for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at heidifenton@annarbor.com or 734-623-4673. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's e-mail newsletters.
Comments
nixon41
Wed, Jul 6, 2011 : 1:01 p.m.
Condolences to the family. This is a terrible accident. Will pray for the family.
Mike Hampton
Wed, Jul 6, 2011 : 7:39 a.m.
I was in the party that discovered the body on Monday. No sign of trauma. Diet coke can in his sleeve pocket. We could not revive him. My father in law and I prayed over him while waiting for US Coast Guard to arrive. We are very interested to hear the medical examiner's report. This young man looked fit and able. Had on a life preserver too. Tragic and very sad to see life ended at this age.
Pika
Wed, Jul 6, 2011 : 3:36 a.m.
I'm very sorry to hear of this incident. I wonder if it was hypertherma or drowning? I guess we shouldn't speculate - but I don't know if they will release that information publicly.
Stephenb1707
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 7:18 p.m.
I have boated the Straits for over 25 years. It is tragic and too bad it will not be the last. You must have respect for the water and a good rule of thumb is if you do not see fisherman in an area, than it is a good place to stay away from. The straits are wicked and can go from lamb to lion very quickly. Sorry to see a young life end so early.
81wolverine
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 7:15 p.m.
That's a terrible tragedy for this young man and his family. But, I agree with RS. I own property up there and have been to/from the Island many times. And it's seldom suitable for canoe's or kayak's to say the least. Dangerous would be a better term. A craft that small would easily be swamped by a wake of a larger boat (such as a fishing boat, ferry, or freighter all of which are very common in the Straits) and you wouldn't have to be very close to the other boat/ship for this to happen. I also concur about the water temps. They aren't all that warm even this time of the year and exposure for as little as 2 hours can be fatal. A recent surface temperature of the water around there was 62.8 degrees. Not good if you're exposed to it for a long time.
amlive
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 6:21 p.m.
How tragic. I was up canoeing along Pictured Rocks the day before, and was coming back over the bridge Monday afternoon. The waves in the straights were certainly bigger than they were on Superior that day, and by no means fit for a canoe that afternoon. Perhaps the water was more calm that morning, but that can change almost instantly without much warning. My condolences to his friends and family and friends. I am so, so sorry for this terrible loss.
rs
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 5:17 p.m.
How horrible. As someone from that area, I can tell you the Straights of Mackinac is no place for a small power boat, even less so for a canoe. The currents are fast, there's lots of freighter traffic and island ferry traffic that produces massive wakes and swells and the water is very cold if you do go overboard.