Missing kayaker rescued after floating for 3 hours

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — The Coast Guard safely rescued a kayaker off Gloucester Saturday afternoon after a good Samaritan reported seeing an overturned orange kayak.

Two rescue boat crews and crews from the Salem and Beverly Harbormasters responded around 2:30 p.m. yesterday near House Island. The wife of the missing kayaker reported her husband late. When crews arrived, they found a dry bag containing a set of keys and a T-shirt.

After an hour of searching, the Beverly Harbormaster rescue crew found the kayaker wearing a life jacket. He floated in four-foot, 66-degree water for about three hours.

"A life jacket really saved this man's life," said Ensign Isabella Stoyka, the duty public affairs officer for Sector Boston. "If his kayak was labeled, we may have found him sooner."​​​​​​​

Cox Media Group