Coast Guard suspends search for possible missing kayaker near Blake Island
Originally Published at USCG Newsroom on October 25, 2010 4:52:06 PM EDT
SEATTLE - Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, in Seattle, has suspended its search for a possible missing kayaker at 7:45 p.m., in the vicinity of Vashon Island and Blake Island, Wash., Saturday.
Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received notification from the Washington State Ferry Tillicum at 6:50 a.m. of an orange kayak, with a lifejacket and a paddle onboard, adrift in between Vashon Island and Blake Island State Marine Park.
Coast Guard Station Seattle launched a 41-foot Utility Boat rescue crew at 7:15 a.m., and searched a 33-square-mile area for more than 11 hours.
Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles, Wash., launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter rescue crew at 8:05 a.m., which searched a 28-square-mile area for more than 2 hours.
"If this kayak had an Operation Paddle Smart identification sticker it could have assisted in determining whether or not there was a kayaker in distress or the kayak was derelict and accidentally adrift," said Lt. Scott Melton, senior watch officer, Sector Puget Sound.
The bottom line is these Paddle Smart stickers can save lives" says Captain Chris Martino, Commander, Group/Air Station Humboldt Bay. "By enabling the Coast Guard to rapidly link abandoned or drifting paddle craft to their owners, these stickers help rescuers to determine if a mariner is truly in distress and, in many cases, the best search area. Considering the harsh Pacific Northwest environment, minutes can often make all the difference. Even if it is determined that the owner is not in distress, these stickers can ensure that valuable property gets back to its rightful owner. It's remarkable that something as small and insignificant as a Paddle Smart sticker can provide such an overwhelming benefit to the boating public