Goodtime runs aground

PUT-IN-BAY — A local cruise boat ran aground on a reef on Lake Erie on Thursday. At approximately 5 p.m., the Goodtime I ran aground on Buckeye Reef near Ballast Island, according to Lt. Kyle Rivera, Coast Guard Sector Detroit's public affairs officer. Ballast Island is east of Middle Bass Island and northeast of South Bass Island. Six crew members and 107 passengers were on board at the time, Rivera said. Vessels from the Coast Guard's Marblehead Station, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and a good Samaritan arrived to remove the 113 people from the stricken boat, according to Rivera. There were no injuries reported. The Goodtime I did not take on any water and did not leak any polluting substances into the lake. Attempts were made to refloat the ship on Thursday, but those were unsuccessful. Another attempt was scheduled to occur on Friday. It will involve lightening the ship in the hopes of freeing it. Crews from Marblehead Station and the Toledo Marine Safety Unit will supervise the operation. A Pride cruise scheduled for Friday night in Sandusky, where the boat is normally docked, was canceled due to the grounding.