Coast Guard asks public to label kayaks after unmanned boat spurs water search
The U.S. Coast Guard is asking kayakers to label their boats after the discovery of an unmanned kayak triggered a water search on Thursday.
At about 9 a.m., a good Samaritan reported the yellow kayak, spotted adrift off the coast of North Kingstown, Rhode Island. There was no contact information on the boat. The Coast Guard immediately sent a 45-foot response boat to search for a possible person in the water, and six units from the Narragansett Bay Marine Task Force joined the search.
The search was finally suspended due to “lack of information,” according to the Coast Guard. No one was found.
“When there is a boat on the water with no person aboard, the Coast Guard will always search as if someone is in distress,” said Cody Seevers, an operations specialist in Sector Southeastern New England’s command center. “The Coast Guard recommends using ‘If Found’ stickers, or even a sharpie, to write a name and good contact number on all paddle craft. This allows the Coast Guard to locate an owner and determine whether a person is in real trouble or if their gear is simply adrift.”
Anyone with information about the yellow kayak’s owner can contact the Coast Guard at 508-457-3211.
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