Authorities are searching the coast for a man who issued three mayday calls Wednesday morning after he apparently fell off his kayak near Bois Bubert Island, a southern part of Milbridge.
The Coast Guard, the Maine Marine patrol and Canadian air force crews are combing a 275 square mile area by sea and air. The Coast Guard Sector Northern New England received the somewhat garbled mayday calls, the first that came in at about 10:15 a.m.
The Coast Guard was able to narrow down the search to the Milbridge area after getting a “line of bearing from the radio tower in Harrington” from one of the mayday calls, according to Ken Stuart, search and rescue specialist with Sector Northern New England, based in South Portland. Without a second bearing, however, pinpointing the man’s location is impossible, which is why the search area is so large, he said.
Other concerns are the cold water temperature, which can cause an unprepared person to suffer from hypothermia in just a few minutes. The water in the area was 49 degrees when the search started, Stuart said.
Visibility early Wednesday was perfectly clear, but by 4 p.m. had reduced to four nautical miles, he said.
As of 6:30 p.m., no one had reported anyone missing or overdue in the area, he said.
Coast Guard Station Jonesport launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat and the 87-foot “Amber Jack” patrol boat with crews, and Station Southwest Harbor launched a 29-foot response boat and crew to search the area.
A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew launched from Air Station Cape Cod, and the Canadian aircraft is assist three Maine Marine patrol boats and aircraft out searching the water.
Bois Bubert Island, known locally is called “BoBear,” is part of Milbridge, which is close to the village of Steuben.
In 2010, two brothers from Milbridge died by drowning near the island after the skiff they were in capsized during a weekend getaway to a camp.
Anyone heading out on the ocean should wear protective clothing to stay warm and a life jacket, and also let somebody else know where he or she is going and provide that person with a plan in case of an emergency, Stuart said.
The Coast Guard is asking anyone with information about the whereabouts of the man who issued the mayday calls Wednesday to call Ken Stuart at Sector Northern New England at (207) 741-5422.