Port Huron Float Down condemned by shipping groups

Shipping groups from the U.S. and Canada say the annual Port Huron Float Down event on the St. Clair River puts participants in danger and hinders commercial operations.

The unsanctioned event takes place on the international waterway Sunday, with people in tubes and rafts expected to float from a beach in Port Huron, Mich., — across from Sarnia, Ont. — to Chrysler Beach in Marysville, Mich., approximately 13 km down river and across from Corunna, Ont.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley told CBC News he doesn't like the idea of people telling other people how to have fun, asking why members of the public should not grab an inner tube, a case of beer and take part. Yet, he did acknowledge it's a dangerous event, but added it's quite something to watch.

While the Float Down may, indeed, be quite something to watch, the Canadian Shipowners Association and the U.S. Lake Carriers' Association voiced their disapproval of the event in a joint statement Monday.

Lake Carriers' Association president James Weakley in Rocky River, Ohio, said the river is a "federal navigation channel, not a playground."

Weakley is also concerned about the economic impact the event could have on the shipping industry.

"Our members' vessels cost thousands of dollars an hour to operate," said Weakley. "While companies attempt to schedule around the Float Down, it is inevitable that ships will end up at anchor and the losses can quickly reach five digits."

Canadian Shipowners Association president Robert Lewis-Manning in Ottawa says the groups decided to come out against the event after a 19-year-old man drowned last year.

"The Float Down is not permitted or sanctioned by Federal agencies in either country," Lewis Manning claimed. "Although the event may appear benign, there are a host of risks to participants that are not evident to nonmariners. This is a waterway that deserves the utmost of respect and this unsanctioned event does not have sufficient safety measures."

Float Down website owner Erik Kimball tells the Times Herald of Port Huron that the river is "for everybody, not just commercial traffic."

The website's FAQ sections briefly deals with safety.

"Stay out of the shipping channel, the site says. "You vs. a ship, you will lose every time."

Float Down organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CBC News.