A forty-something man who had been missing since yesterday evening in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield while on a personal watercraft trip on the St. Lawrence River was found safe and sound less than twelve hours after an acquaintance reported him missing. 

Search operations were launched late Thursday evening in the area to locate him. They were led by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and the Canadian Coast Guard. The search was due to continue on Friday, but the happy ending came before the start of the day's operations. 

The man who disappeared with his machine had little experience in operating this type of watercraft. Moreover, as a resident of the greater Montreal area, his knowledge of the area was not optimal. 

Fortunately, all's well that ends well. "He was located this morning on Principale Street in Les Coteaux. It was a passer-by who spotted him soaking wet in his flotation jacket and called us right away to report it. According to what he told police, he had run out of gas and abandoned his PWC to swim back to shore," Sûreté du Québec spokeswoman Audrey-Anne Bilodeau told Néomédia. 

The man didn't have the required competency cards to pilot this type of craft. "That could get him a ticket," she concludes. The victim was assessed on site by paramedics before refusing to be taken to hospital.