The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a group of kayakers after their boats were swamped in rough seas near Lummi Island in the San Juan archipelago on Sunday afternoon.
The group included four adults, a child and a dog. All were wearing life-jackets, and a satellite messenger was used to call for help, the coast guard said.
Lummi Island is directly east of the Saanich Peninsula and Orcas Island and off the coast of Bellingham, Washington.
The coast guard said one of the rescued kayakers activated an inReach, a satellite messenger device, to notify search crews.
“The coast guard recommends utilizing satellite messengers when phone service may be unavailable,” the agency said.
One person was transferred to ambulance while the other people and the dog were taken to Bellingham’s coast guard station.
dkloster@timescolonist
