Coast Guard ‘angels’ rescue 3 after boat capsizes on Lake Superior

U.S. Coast Guard Bayfield Station rescued three people from Lake Superior after their 25-foot boat took on water and then capsized Tuesday morning, Aug. 29, 2023, about 4.5 miles offshore near Saxon Harbor, Wis.U.S. Coast Guard

Three people who were pulled from Lake Superior after their boat capsized called their rescuers “angels.”

They were found clinging to an overturned 25-foot boat shortly after noon on Tuesday about 4.5 miles offshore near Saxon Harbor, Wis., according to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard. Only one of them was wearing a life jacket.

One of the occupants had used a VHF radio at 11:26 a.m. for a mayday broadcast that reported the vessel was rapidly taking on water. U.S. Coast Guard Section Sault Ste. Marie command center received the transmission and took immediate action. A rescue boat was at the scene in less than an hour.

“They called us angels when we pulled them out of the water, and we were just so glad we were able to get there in time,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaime Rodriguez-Ayala, Station Bayfield coxswain.

USCG estimated the caller’s location using data from the VHF radio network and immediately dispatched a 45-foot Response Boat Medium from USCG Station Bayfield.

Station Bayfield personnel arrived on scene about 45 minutes after the mayday broadcast. After a brief search, the crew located the capsized vessel with three adults clinging to it. The crew brought the survivors on board, determined that everyone was accounted for, and then transported them to shore at Saxon Harbor where emergency medical services personnel were waiting.

“Our crews were able to immediately deploy because we received a mayday over the radio. If the boaters only had a cell phone available, their call would have likely been routed to us through 911 dispatch, and even that delay of a few minutes could have caused this case to have a much more tragic outcome,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Edmund Foster, search and rescue mission coordinator.

He emphasized the importance of carrying life jackets and a VHF radio on board all vessels, especially as water temperatures drop heading into the fall months.

“Only one of the rescued boaters was wearing a life jacket, an essential piece of equipment for ensuring that, if the worst happens, you have the best possible chance of survival when the elements prevent you from being able to rescue yourself,” Foster said.

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