SARNIA, ONTARIO -- When nearly 1,500 Americans were left illegally stranded in Canadian waters Sunday, some were so fearful of the repercussions, they started swimming back across the St. Clair River.

They found themselves on the wrong side of the river after Sunday's strong winds sent some-1,500 people on inflatable rafts and boats floating across the international border.

Sarnia police, the Canadian Coast Guard, Canada Border Service Agency and Ontario Provincial Police helped reel in the "wayward Americans," the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports.

Participants originally set out for the Port Huron Float Down, an annual, booze-fueled event and Canada, which takes floaters 7.5 miles down the St. Clair River.

"The people who take part in this are not mariners," Peter Garapick of the Canadian Coast Guard told the CBC. "They don't look at the wind, the weather and the waves. We knew from the get-go, the winds were going to cause a problem.

"There's no question they were involuntarily coming to Canada."

While authorities brought in the stranded participants, floaters could be heard shouting things like "God bless, Canada!" and "Thank you, Canada!" in a CBC video.

Police reportedly arranged for Sarnia Transit to take some of the stranded rafters back stateside.

"There were people in places you'd never think something would float, but there were Americans everywhere," Garapick said, according to the CBC. "There was no chance for anything floating or people on inner tubes to go anywhere but Canada.

"We had 1,500 people who were in complete need of help, and everyone walked away alive."

Watch the video below from YouTube user Ernie Jacobs describing the "little incident:"

Sarnia Police tell the Associated Press only minor injuries were reported in the incident, which started at Port Huron's Lighthouse Beach and was slated to end at Marysville's Chrysler Beach before Mother Nature took control.

Authorities report that "a strong current and lack of life jackets" heightened the hazards in the incident.

On its Facebook page, the Sarnia Police Department posted that "it got a little crazy," but that everything worked out in the end. The department tweeted a photo of some of the stranded Americans boarding buses on Canadian soil.

Police loading floaters onto buses to get them back to bridge and home. Strong winds blew them off course. pic.twitter.com/8HFTkjYW8F — Sarnia Police (@SarniaPolice) August 21, 2016

The Port Huron Float Down had been the subject of criticism before the Sunday, Aug. 22 international incident surrounding the unsanctioned, unsponsored event.

In 2015, the Lake Carriers' Association, which is made up of 16 companies that operate 56 vessels on the Great Lakes, urged the public to abstain from the annual Float Down.

"Our members' vessels cost thousands of dollars an hour to operate," Lake Carriers' Association President James H.I. Weakley said at the time. "While companies attempt to schedule around the Float Down, it is inevitable that ships will end up at anchor and the loses can quickly reach five digits.

"It takes several more hours to clear all the traffic that has accumulated as a result of the Float Down."