Was lost, but now is found
Kayak mystery solved
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KEWEENAW COUNTY -- A blue and white kayak found floating in Bete Grise on Friday has been reunited with its owner, according to Keweenaw County Sheriff Curt Pennala.
Pennala told the Daily Mining Gazette Monday morning that the U.S. Coast Guard canceled its search after locating the kayak's owner. The vessel, he said, belongs to a nearby camp owner. It had blown off the shore near Fish Cove and floated roughly six miles westward into Bete Grise. The owner was contacted just a few hours after a passing boater spotted and reported seeing the kayak.
"Between the social media post and some neighbors contacting the owners, he was able to confirm that he was in fact missing a kayak," Pennala said. "The kayak had blown off the shoreline and ended up floating in Lake Superior, about three miles offshore."
On Friday, the Keweenaw County Sheriff's Office published a post on its Facebook page reporting that local law enforcement and the Coast Guard were investigating the discovery of an unmanned kayak on Lake Superior. Deputy Matthew Eberly, of the sheriff’s office trails division, told the Gazette that both the Coast Guard and the sheriff’s office conducted searches in an attempt to find anyone stranded in the water, but without success.
"We had both a shoreline patrol, going to different areas with our ATV, different campgrounds along the point," Pennala said Monday, "and we also had our boat in the water with an additional shoreline search with that, while the Coast Guard was also there with a small boat."
Pennala said his office initially requested a USCG helicopter search, but the situation did not fit the criteria for an aerial dispatch.
"Until we know there is more likely somebody in the water, they aren't likely to use a helicopter," he said. "We were able to do a fairly extensive search based on the GPS coordinates that were called in."
Pennala emphasized that anytime an unmanned vessel is found on Lake Superior, his office has to treat it as a potential emergency.
"It's one of those times when an unmanned vessel is found anywhere, especially on Lake Superior, our office has to take it very seriously and take the appropriate actions to ensure there is not someone in trouble or distress," he said.