Pair on beach rescue kayaker near McCurdy Point

Published 12:12 am Wednesday, May 19, 2010

PORT TOWNSEND — A woman who tipped over in her kayak near McCurdy Point was brought ashore by two women who were on the beach at the time, and they most likely saved her life.

Nature Joy Lindsay and Tinker Cavallero, both of Port Townsend, along with Cavallero’s son, Sam, were harvesting seaweed on the beach a little after noon on Saturday when they spotted two kayaks in the water that seemed to be in distress.

Lindsay said it was hard to see any details from the shore but could tell that one had capsized and its passenger was in the water and yelling for help.

East Jefferson Fire-Rescue estimated that the kayakers were 50 yards offshore when the incident occurred.

‘Sounded panicked’

Sam called 9-1-1 on his cell phone, while Lindsay and his mother attempted to communicate with the woman “who sounded really panicked,” according to Lindsay.

After several minutes, it was clear that the woman was hanging on to the kayak as it was drifting away from shore.

Lindsay and Cavallero, as they waded into the water, were able to persuade the woman to let the kayak go and swim toward shore.

“She yelled out that she didn’t know how to swim,” Lindsay said.

“We yelled back that all she needed to do was kick, kick, kick because she was wearing a flotation device.”

Lindsay said the water was up to her neck by the time she and Cavallero caught up with her.

They each took one arm and dragged her into shore.

Lindsay said she knew the woman, who she estimated weighed about 200 pounds, could not survive for long in the water — which rescue personnel estimated was about 50 degrees.

Large towel

Once ashore, Lindsay and Cavallero had to persuade the woman to remove her wet clothes.

The two then wrapped the woman, who said her name was Gail, in a large towel.

Two boats, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue’s Marine 16 and a U.S. Coast Guard 44-foot patrol boat, which happened to be in the area, arrived on the beach shortly after the woman was pulled from the water.

Paramedics began treating the woman for hypothermia while transporting her to the Marine Science Center at Fort Worden State Park.

She was then taken by ambulance to Jefferson Healthcare hospital and released later that day.

East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman Bill Beezley would not identify the woman, other than that she lived and Seattle and was not dressed properly for kayaking.

The Coast Guard boat located and retrieved the kayak and transferred it to the East Jefferson boat.

During the incident Lindsay said she saw the second kayaker paddle away.

“I didn’t know what he was doing but remember thinking, ‘What an [expletive],'” she said.

Beezley said the companion was not questioned about why he left the scene.

“We just wanted to know he was OK,” he said. “For a while, we thought we had a second missing person.”

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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.