Boating Accident, 7 boaters rescued off Buckeye Reef- Put-in-Bay Oktoberfest was uneventful except for a boat that ran onto the reef off Buckeye near Put-in-Bay Five adults and two children were rescued after the U.S. Coast Guard detachment in Detroit received a call that a 28-foot boat was stranded on Buckeye Reef off the tip of East Point. Reports stated the boat was severely listing and one of the adults was having a panic attack.

A crew from Coast Guard Station Marblehead, Ohio, aboard a 25-foot response boat, responded. A local commercial salvage crew responded as well. Also helping with the rescue operation from land were members of the Put-in-Bay Volunteer Fire Department.
Shallow water kept them from getting close enough for a rescue, so an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter was called in from Detroit. Once on scene, the air station crew hoisted four of the people and took them to the Middle Bass Island Municipal Airport where they were met by the Put-in-Bay Police and EMS personnel.

The helicopter crew returned to the stricken vessel and hoisted the remaining three people. After being evaluated by EMS, all seven people were taken to Marblehead by a crew from Station Marblehead aboard a 45-foot response boat. It was also reported that the boat had just been purchased by the boaters and this was their first time out boating and were without charts.