Canoe livery operators keep an eye on dangerous storms

LANSING – As summer nears, canoe liveries around the state are gearing up for the season – and getting ready for inclement weather.

Janice Stevenson, the owner of Carlisle Canoe Livery in Grayling, said that she always keeps a watch for storms that could put guests in harm.

“If it is just raining they can get on the river – that is fine and it won’t hurt their trip,” said Stevenson. “If it’s a thunderstorm and there’s a chance of it being dangerous, they have to get off the river as quickly as possible.”

Stevenson doesn’t have any specific rule about when she will start sending canoes back onto the Au Sable River besides watching the radar and seeing whether the sky is clear.

“Once we feel it is acceptable to put people back on the river to launch them, we will do it at that time,” said Stevenson.

Stevenson said that when her livery isn’t able to send canoes down the river, there is a camp store where guests can shop and buy a rain slicker if there is concern about weather.

Kyle Orr, the co-owner of Riverside Canoe Trips with his wife Kelly, has a similar process, but when the storm does become a risk, there is a river rescue available.

“Typically, we always have it whenever there is a threat of weather,” said Orr. “We have radar up all day long for guests to see, but in the best case-scenario we don’t have to do river rescues.”

Riverside is located in Honor along the Platte River. With the river’s mouth emptying into nearby Lake Michigan, the weather can change in just minutes, he said.

“The only ones that will catch us is if you have a storm that will fire up on the lakeshore as soon as it hits land,” said Orr. “One minute there’s nothing, and the next there is a thunderstorm right off Point Betsie.”

When that happens, guests get off the river,

Orr said that Riverside waits at least half an hour after the last lightning strike before guests are launched on their trip.

Manistee Paddlesport Adventure, which operates on the Little Manistee River, instructs guests on procedures to follow for when storms hit the area.

“We give them instructions on exactly what to do – get out of the water and get away from trees,” said owner Rick Ebaugh. “We wait about 45 minutes when we see lightning.”