Associated Press
HONOLULU — Busy U.S. Coast Guard crews have rescued a kayaker off the coast of Molokai, hours after finding a sailboat that had been reported overdue.
Coast Guard crews and Maui County police were called out around 7 p.m. Saturday after getting a call that four kayakers were in trouble, said Coast Guard Lt. Leigh Cotterell.
One of the kayakers used a handheld VHF radio to call for help, saying one kayak, with two people in it, was getting swamped with water, while a second kayak with two other people, was in danger of getting swept out to sea.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew spotted one of the kayakers, a 28-year-old man, and hoisted him to safety, about 700 yards offshore, Cotterell said.
The three other kayakers were able to make it back to shore on their own.
The Coast Guard did not have the ages of the three other kayakers, or the hometowns of any of the kayakers.
The kayaker’s use of a VHF radio and their wearing of lifejackets contributed to the kayakers surviving the ordeal, Cotterell said.
Also on Saturday, Coast Guard crews located a 34-foot sailboat with two men and two women on board that had been reported overdue west of Lanai.
A Coast Guard HC-130 aircrew spotted the sailboat around 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
The boat was not in distress, and all four people aboard were unhurt, Cotterell said.
