Coast Guard conducts three separate rescues across U.S. coastal waters involving kayakers and sailors.

The Coast Guard rescued a kayaker after his kayak capsized near Orcas Island, Washington; he was wearing a life jacket and dry suit and used a VHF radio to call for help, while his companion made it to shore on his own. In a separate rescue near Santa Rosa Island, California, a Coast Guard helicopter airlifted an uninjured sailor whose 25-foot sailboat had run aground; the vessel was later towed to Ventura Harbor. The Coast Guard also evacuated a 32-year-old crew member from the cruise ship Allure of the Seas after severe abdominal pain required hospital care, using a helicopter hoist about 50 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Rico.
At the time of the Orcas Island rescue, the water was 54°F, with one-foot waves and winds of 8 mph. Lt. Allison Ruth said that in cold water “every single second counts,” and credited the kayakers’ preparation with helping rescuers locate and save the kayaker.
After the Santa Rosa Island rescue, the mariner was taken to Camarillo Airport for evaluation by Ventura County Fire Department personnel and was found to be uninjured. A local towing company removed the sailboat and transported it to Ventura Harbor.
The Allure of the Seas changed course and sailed south toward the responding aircrew before the helicopter crew performed the hoist. The crew member was taken by ambulance to Hospital Buen Samaritano in Aguadilla; no further information about his condition was released.
Coast Guard commander Zachery Geyer said rapid communication among watchstanders, the flight surgeon, the aircrew and the cruise ship’s officers and crew helped meet the patient’s “tight time-to-care window.”
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