Coast Guard rescues Bellingham Bay kite surfers surprised by Sunday’s winds
Sunday’s winds caught a pair of kite surfers on Bellingham Bay off guard and put them in distress, requiring rescue by a crew from the U.S. Coast Guard Station Bellingham.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received a distress call at approximately 9:51 a.m. from a good Samaritan about the two kite surfers struggling on the bay, according to a news release on the incident.
A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew launched at 10:08 a.m. and was on scene less than 10 minutes later, the release reports.
“Their sails were bright green and made them particularly easy to spot,” Petty Officer 2nd Class William (Tony) Diepenbrock, RB-M coxswain, said in the release. “And they were wearing wetsuits, which is good protection against the cold, but they didn’t have on life jackets, which is really dangerous. Imagine if he had been knocked unconscious.”
The crew found the kite surfers, who were both men, fighting 2- to 3-foot seas in 23 mph winds gusting up to 34 mph, according to the release.
“They seemed fit and capable,” Diepenbrock said. “But I don’t think they were expecting the winds to get that high. The conditions were just too extreme for them, which is why we encourage every person on the water to always wear a life jacket.”
The two men were transported to a public pier near Taylor Dock. Neither man was injured in the incident.
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 7:28 AM.
