A US Coast Guard boat crew rescued 2 men and a woman on western Lake Superior near Grand Portage, Minnesota, after they became beset by weather while kayaking Sunday afternoon.
Just before 4:30 p.m., EDT, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, received a mayday broadcast on VHF-FM channel 16 from three kayakers who were beset by wind while on their way from Grand Portage to Lucille Island.
Unable to maintain good communications, Sector Sault Ste. Marie directed the launch of a boat crew from Coast Guard Station North Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota, aboard a 25-foot response boat. They also contacted the Grand Portage Marina Harbormaster to assist relaying communications between the kayakers and Sector Sault Ste. Marie watchstanders.
Because of distance and winds blowing around 25 mph and a sea state around 5 feet, the Station North Superior crew trailered the response boat from Grand Marais to Grand Portage, a distance of about 35 miles, an entrance point from which they launched.
Just before 5 p.m. local time, the response boat crew arrived on scene, brought all three people aboard and towed the kayaks back to Grand Portage Marina.
All three kayakers were wearing their life jackets and reported no medical concerns.
On July 11, 2014, Coast Guard crews rescued three kayakers in a similar case in Green Bay.