U.S. Coast Guard officials said Jon Fulton, of Fonthill, Ont., was windsurfing on the Canadian side of the river near the International Railway Bridge, just south of Strawberry Island, when the winds and currents forced him to drift about 800 yards to Stinger's Marina on the American side about 10:25 a.m.

Witnesses onshore called police after they noticed that the surfing Santa appeared to be having difficulty getting back on his board.

Minutes later, three U.S. Coast Guard officers, equipped with their 23-foot safe boat, arrived on the scene along with paramedics to rescue the man, but he already had made his way safely to the American shore. Authorities said he was uninjured and did not require medical attention.

"He didn't appear to be in distress when we got there," said Petty Officer Joey Dipersi, one of the Coast Guard officers at the scene.

Ed Duda, U.S. Border Patrol deputy chief, said he suspects the incident was a publicity stunt and doubts the man's claim that he "accidentally blew" across the river.

"This was poor judgment on his part," said Duda. "I heard he was down there laughing about it. He may think this is funny, but this is a national security issue."

Duda said the occurrence tied up precious manpower when U.S. Border officials have the large task of protecting 450 miles of Buffalo's water boundary.

U.S. border officials arrested Fulton - who was wearing a white beard, red shirt, dry body suit and life jacket. He was charged with entry without inspection, a misdemeanor, and released into the custody of Canadian immigration authorities.

According to reports, Fulton was promoting awareness of the poor and homeless during the holiday season and told authorities he was raising money for an orphanage.

Dipersi reminded water sport enthusiasts like Fulton that the U.S. Coast Guard policy urges them to be cautious during the winter months, making sure to evaluate the size of their vessel, personal experience and condition of the water before deciding to enter the frigid water.

Sunday, water in the Niagara River was about 34 degrees, the current was strong, and the wind was blowing at 20 per miles per hour.

Fulton's greatest danger out on the river was hypothermia, officials said.

"The weather conditions out there are life-threatening," said Dipersi. "Even a few minutes out there could get you hypothermia. You freeze 20 to 30 times quicker in the water then you do in the air. We don't recommend windsurfing in this type of weather."

e-mail: vthomas@buffnews.com