SEATTLE — The Coast Guard rescued a fatigued kite surfer near the entrance to Rich Passage near Bainbridge Island, Wash., Saturday.
Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received a call from Kitsap County, Wash., dispatch at approximately 6:15 p.m., indicating they had received reports of a kite surfer yelling for help at the entrance to Rich Passage.
Sector Puget Sound issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and diverted a 45-foot response boat crew from Station Seattle. The response boat crew had just finished transferring ten people, including seven children, from a 17-foot pleasure craft that had run out of gas off Vashon Island, to the 45-foot Coast Guard boat.
The 45-foot response boat crew arrived on scene and found the fatigued kite surfer, struggling to paddle toward shore. The crew took the kite surfer aboard with the other ten people.
The 45-foot response boat crew successfully transported the kite surfer and ten recreational boaters to Don Armeni Boat Ramp in Seattle. No injuries have been reported.
The Coast Guard urges boaters, paddlers and water enthusiasts to know the limitations of their equipment and themselves before venturing out on the water. Ensuring adequate fuel levels and staying in safe proximity to the point of launch are critical to remaining safe on the water.
For additional information, please contact Petty Officer Nate Littlejohn at 816-582-1725.