Teresa Guerrein knows just how dangerous Lake Erie can be this time of year.

Wednesday morning, the shift in wind patterns around 11 a.m. caused gale warnings and wind advisories, with wind gusts over 50 mph and waves ranging from 9 to 14 feet.

"The water right now is only in the 30s and it will kill you fast," Guerrein said.

For 37 years, Guerrein has been co-owner of Lakeshore Towing Services Inc. alongside her husband Eric, who served four years in the Coast Guard.

"They just want to go out they want to fish or enjoy the water and I understand that but what you need to realize is that if you capsize this time of year, you usually gasp when you capsize. So if you gasp you usually take in water and you could drown."

This was Guerrein's reaction to the U.S. Coast Guard Station Erie performing two water rescues on Wednesday, the first happening late morning near One East Ave., where paramedics say a man had to cut his sail loose after extremely heavy winds left him in the water for nearly 90 minutes.

Within two hours, another rescue was made in Presque Isle Bay. Millcreek paramedics, West Ridge Fire Dept, and the West Lake Water Rescue responded to a stranded kayaker.

Both individuals were reported to have no injuries.

"You have to make sure that there's no pack ice in between you and the Coast Guard, so that if you do need their help, they can actually get to you," Guerrein said.

Guerrein is a also big advocate for life jackets and safety because she has seen others who have not made it.

"When my husband was in the Coast Guard, they went out and rescued a man. They got to him only 15 minutes after he was in the water, but by the time they got to him, he was already dead," Guerrein said. "You really do not have a lot of time this time of year."