BOSTON — The Coast Guard is searching for what may be a person in the water near Cohasset, Tuesday.
At about about 1:00 p.m., a local fishing vessel notified authorities when an unmanned and unmarked kayak was discovered adrift offshore near Cohasset.
Unsure whether people were in distress or if the kayak simply drifted out from land, and with no identifying information on the kayak, the Coast Guard launched an extensive search for a possible person in the water in the areas of Cohasset, and Scituate.
A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Point Allerton and a MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew from Air Station Cape Cod are searching the area but have no sightings or additional leads.
“If we could reach out to the owners, we could easily discover if a person were in distress,” said operations specialist chief Thomas Quigley at the Sector Boston Command Center, “but because there is no contact info on the vessel found adrift, we have to assume someone may be in trouble.”
He said responders obviously hope the owner of the kayak is fine, but in case they are in trouble we must do our due diligence and launch a search. The search effort is a costly reminder for paddleboard, canoe, and kayak owners, as well as rental companies, to ensure all their crafts are marked with detailed contact info to avoid triggering an unnecessary search.
"The Coast Guard provides if-found stickers — but even a name and number written in permanent marker would be helpful,” said Quigley.
The hourly expense of operating a Jayhawk helicopter is roughly $11,000 and a Motor Lifeboat is estimated at nearly $3,000 per hour.
Only after completely covering the search area and barring any additional information or sightings, would the search be suspended.
If you have any information please contact Coast Guard Sector Boston Command Center at 617.223.3201.