Leelanau County’s Marine Safety Unit has made it through the halfway point of summer boating season without a single drowning — (knock on wood) — a current data point that Leelanau County Sheriff Mike Borkovich calls remarkable given how much water recreation the county sees each year. “I’m just very impressed with their work, and luck — God’s looking after us, you know,” Borkovich said.
The division has a new commander this season: Cary Garton, who spent 33 years with the Sheriff’s Office as a corrections deputy before retiring late this past winter.
Borkovich asked him to return and take over Marine operations, a role that runs roughly six months out of the year.
“Cary’s doing a fantastic job,” Borkovich said. “He’s a big asset to have,” Joining Garton is Steve Freeman, the division’s most experienced deputy, who works the position four to five months a year. A Suttons Bay resident and lifelong boater, Freeman handles boat maintenance, equipment and engine troubleshooting in addition to patrols and rescues.
Marine deputies’ duties this time of year run the gamut: fireworks and drone-show safety patrols, routine water safety enforcement, and rescues. The office has also fielded reports of boats breaking loose from anchors and moorings — including at least one pontoon boat that drifted into another vessel.
Kayaks and canoes remain one of the division’s biggest headaches, largely because, unlike motorized boats, they aren’t required to be registered or marked with identification. When one is spotted drifting alone in open water, deputies have no way of knowing wheth-
