On December 22, 1985, 21-year-old Ralph Monague and his friend, also 21-year-old Curtis Smith, were swept overboard from a ferry running between Cedar Point and Christian Island, Ontario. The ferry crew had warned passengers to stay inside the main cabin because of severe winter weather, but Ralph and Curtis went out onto the open deck. A large wave struck the vessel, and both men were washed into the frigid water. Immediate rescue in those conditions was impossible.

Neither Ralph Monague nor Curtis Smith was recovered. Their families were left without remains and without closure after the search that followed. The basic facts of what happened are clear, but why the two young men went onto the deck despite the warning remains unexplained.

Did anyone who lived near Cedar Point in December 1985 remember the ferry run that day or have information about the two men’s plans before boarding?