Offshore racing publications are reporting a Spring Lake man died in a power boat crash on the St. Clair River on Sunday.
SpeedOnTheWater.com was one of the publications reporting that Keith Holmes died when his 40-foot boat, CatCanDo, collided with Miss GEICO in an incident that occurred at about 5:30 p.m.
The CatCanDo Facebook Page published this post at around 9:30 p.m.:
“We ask for your prayers as we wrap our minds around the events of today. Remember all, as we look for peace and comfort. We feel the love of the boating community and your support is appreciated. The Cat Can Do Racing Team.”
The Miss GEICO Facebook page earlier posted this:
“The Miss Geico Race Team was involved in a tragic racing incident in St Clair, MI, today. Driver Marc Granet and throttleman Scott Begovich, were not injured. The entire Miss Geico Race Team extends its thoughts and prayers to the American Ethanol Race Team, family members and friends.”
Nicole Hayden, a reporter at the Times Herald in Port Sheldon reported the following:
The St. Clair River Classic offshore powerboat races came to an abrupt stop Sunday after two powerboats collided, leading to one fatality.
The two boats involved in the crash were American Ethanol CatCanDo and Miss GEICO, both from the Extreme division, said St. Clair County Sheriff Marine Division Lt. Paul Reid.
Reid could not confirm the name of the deceased racer though. Reid said the man was transported to St. John River District Hospital in East China Township where he was pronounced dead.
Reid said other racers had minor injuries but were not transported to the hospital.
St. Clair County Sheriff Sgt. Scott Jones said the crash happened around 5:30 p.m. Jones said the race was black-flagged, or cut short, following the accident.
Reid said the crash occurred in the north turn of the race, but does not yet know what led to the crash. Both boats were removed from the water and loaded on trailers to allow investigators to start analyzing the events. As of Sunday evening, investigators were interviewing boat drivers and taking photos of the involved vessels.
St. Clair Police Chief Rick Jefferson said the crash happened during one of the last races of the day.
The incident is still under investigation.
The following is a video off the Cat Can Do Racing YouTube page: