Four girls were rescued by helicopter from a small Lake Superior island near Silver Bay, Minn., over the weekend, hours after losing their oars in rough water.
The girls’ parent called the Lake County Sheriff’s Office about 8 p.m. Saturday to report that they had been paddle boarding on Lake Superior to the smaller of two nearby islands off Black Beach. The girls — the youngest age 8, the oldest 14, and from Champlin, Minn. — were stranded there after losing their paddles, according to the sheriff’s department.
The large waves made for a tricky rescue. Mike Ettel, manager of Silver Bay Marina, took officers out on the water in a former U.S. Coast Guard watercraft designed specifically for those conditions. They were able to make visual contact and tell the girls to stay put — but ended up calling for a Coast Guard helicopter from Traverse City, Mich.
Lake County Rescue was able to use a rope relay to transport blankets and foods to the girls, who were dressed only in swimsuits.
The Coast Guard helicopter got to the site at 1 a.m. and took the girls to a landing spot near the Silver Bay Fire Department and safely back to their parents, according to a news release.
The rescue also included members of the Silver Bay police and fire departments and the Minnesota State Patrol.