On Saturday, July 23 at approximately 11:22 AM the Racine County Sheriff’s Office Water Patrol received a phone call from Coast Guard regarding a 17-foot boat that would not start and was taking on water about one mile off shore in Lake Michigan east of the Racine Harbor. 

Visibility was less than 30 feet due to very dense fog at the time.

Racine County Sheriff’s Office Water Patrol responded to the scene and made contact with the operator who was actively pumping water from his boat. It was undetermined where the water was entering the boat and the dewatering pumps kept the boat from sinking. 

Water Patrol towed the boat to the Fifth Street Boat Launch where the operator was able to remove his boat from the water on to a trailer.

The boat operator was a 64-year-old Racine resident who was fishing with his 48-year-old wife at the time of this incident.

A boat inspection was completed and the operator was issued a written ten day compliance warning to register his boat.