Kayakers rescued on Superior; no injuries

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three kayakers off the shore of Grand Portage on Lake Superior Sunday.

The two men and one woman were paddling to Lucille Island, part of a chain of 13 small islands about five miles off the coast of the Grand Portage Indian Reservation in northeastern Minnesota, when they were hit by winds of 25 mph and four- to five-foot waves.

"The winds were around 25 mph," said Christopher Yaw, a public affairs officer for the Coast Guard. "There were four or five foot seas out there, so they were having a little trouble getting to either their destination or getting back to shore because of that, and they were getting tired."

Using a handheld marine radio, they sent out a mayday broadcast at about 4:30 p.m., Yaw said. No one was hurt.

"When they realized they might be in trouble, they were able to contact the Coast Guard and say, 'hey, this is where we're at,' by using the GPS on the radio," he said. "They were able to keep communication, and we were able to find them very quick."

The Coast Guard rescued three different kayakers in a similar incident last week on Lake Michigan near Green Bay, Wis. In that case, the kayakers did not have a radio or cell phone, and spent the night on the lake before getting rescued.

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