PORT TOWNSEND — A good dry suit probably saved the life of a 67-year-old male kayaker who got caught in treacherous rip currents and dumped into the icy water off Point Wilson in Port Townsend on Thursday afternoon, a rescue official said.
East Jefferson Fire-Rescue does not disclose names of people involved in medical emergencies, and officials did not know the man’s home town, said Bill Beezley, district spokesman.
Beezley said the man was in stable condition Thursday at Jefferson Healthcare hospital in Port Townsend undergoing treatment for hypothermia.
People photographing from shore notified authorities of the kayaker in distress. The fire district vessel Marine 16 was called at about 1:30 p.m. along with a nearby Coast Guard vessel, Beezley said.
Beezley said onlookers said they saw the man flip four times.
Beezley estimated the man was in the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca at a temperature of between 45 and 48 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
“It was fortunate he was properly equipped,” Beezley said.
The district’s vessel took the man onboard and brought him to shore next to the Fort Worden dock.
Karl Fisch, a ranger at Fort Worden — where the Point Wilson lighthouse is situated — said that by the time he got to the lighthouse, he could see the kayaker clinging to his kayak.
The rip currents off the point are notoriously dangerous, Fisch said, and even large vessels sometimes get in trouble there. Kayakers should avoid them, he added.
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Julie McCormick is a freelance writer and photographer living in Port Townsend. Phone her at 360-385-4645 or e-mail juliemccormick10@gmail.com.
