Wash. Sheriff's Deputies Saves Capsized Kayaker
By Kimberly Cauvel
Source Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon, Wash.
The Skagit County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit rescued a kayaker Monday who was stranded overnight on Saddlebag Island east of Guemes Island.
The Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Coast Guard, the State Patrol and the Anacortes police and fire departments.
The 51-year-old Anacortes man went kayaking Sunday afternoon, with Guemes Island his destination. According to friends who contacted law enforcement Monday morning, the man sent photos from the trip at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, then could not be reached.
The man was found on Saddlebag Island at 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to the Sheriff's Office. He was severely hypothermic and barely responsive, and was taken to Island Hospital.
The man told the rescue team his kayak capsized, he lost his cellphone, and the currents made it too difficult for him to pull his kayak to safety. He was wearing a personal floatation device and a dry suit, and was able to swim to Saddlebag Island without the kayak.
Skagit County Undersheriff Chad Clark said in a news release that the man is expected to make a full recovery thanks to the successful multiagency search and rescue effort.
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