BLAKE ISLAND, Wash. — A Seattle Coast Guard crew rescued a group of kayakers stranded on Blake Island Sunday.
The rescue happened after the crew received a report from the crew of the Washington State Ferry Chelan, which reported an unmanned and adrift red kayak after 8 a.m., Coast Guard officials said. The kayak was seen when the ferry was pulling into the Fauntleroy terminal.
The Coast Guard said a search was then conducted in response to the adrift kayak.
About the same time a search was launched, a kayaker contacted watchstanders at the Coast Guard 13th District Command Center and said his group was camping on the island and they had awakened to find all five of their kayaks missing, officials said.
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When the kayak group was connected to the Seattle Coast Guard crew, it was confirmed that the red kayak matched the description of the one adrift and grabbed by the search crew, officials said. As the rescue crew made their way to the stranded kayakers, they found another kayak adrift.
The group, along with their dog, was taken to a pier in Manchester, officials said.
Coast Guard crews said that a tug boat crew also found two kayaks in the water.
A 12-foot white fiberglass kayak with black trim and a dolphin on the side is still missing, officials said.
Coast Guard officials said this response highlights the importance of why mariners need to properly secure and label their vessels and file a float plan, because the kayakers could still be stranded.
Cox Media Group
