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Jun 10, 2023

Ferry crew rescues capsized kayaker in Penobscot Bay

The crew of a West Penobscot Bay ferry on Aug. 25 came to the rescue of a kayaker who capsized during a storm Rudman is one of five crew members who helped rescue the woman, after her kayak had

The crew of a West Penobscot Bay ferry on Aug. 25 came to the rescue of a kayaker who capsized during a storm

Rudman is one of five crew members who helped rescue the woman, after her kayak had flipped over in bad weather.

The woman’s identity is not being released, but she was taken to shore, exhausted and frightened but otherwise unhurt.

The incident began at around 2:15 p.m.

One of the crew members, Kristian Rudman, 46, of Rockport, told Spectrum News that the ferry was taking about 40 passengers, 28 passenger vehicles and two dump trucks from Lincolnville to Islesboro. The ferry was almost at the Islesboro dock when its lookouts spotted something in the water.

“We just saw an overturned kayak,” Rudman said. “Couldn’t see anybody with it.”

Rudman said the ferry went on to drop off its cargo first, then, without taking on more passengers, went back out to the kayak to investigate. In all, he said, it was a matter of minutes since they’d first seen it in the water.

Once they got closer, Rudman said, they noticed the woman clinging to it.

A summer storm was lashing the area with high winds and heavy rains that day. Rudman said there were two- to three-foot swells on the water, and the crew had to work fast. They started by lowering a ladder down the side of the ferry, hoping the kayaker could climb up it, but she was exhausted and panicked.

“They realized that she wasn’t going to be able to climb the ladder,” he said.

Rudman, who retired last year after 20 years with the Coast Guard, joined another crew member in launching a 13-foot hard-sided rescue boat with an outboard motor.

“Once we were alongside of her, we both pulled her into the boat,” Rudman said.

Rudman said she was crying, exhausted and frightened, but she was not injured, wasn’t hypothermic and hadn’t gone into shock.

Rudman piloted the rescue boat to shore, where the kayaker was attended to by EMTs and the Waldo County Sheriff’s Department. A local water taxi volunteered to retrieve the kayak, he said.

As to how the kayaker came to be in her situation, Rudman couldn’t say for sure, but noted that the kayak she was using was not appropriate for the bay.

“It was not a sea kayak,” he said. “It was just a regular little eight-foot, put-it-in-the-pond kayak, and it’s not built for 20, 30-knot winds and three-foot seas.”

Rudman also noted that the kayaker was not wearing a life vest. He recommended anyone venturing out into the bay, even in calm weather, should make sure they are using the correct equipment and wearing a life vest.

“If you’re going to out onto the water, let somebody know where you’re going and what time you expect to be there,” Rudman said.