Newport kayak found

By: News Staff

news@abc6.com

The Coast Guard spent hours Sunday searching for a possible missing person after finding an empty kayak.

A local fishing boat reported finding a red kayak with no identifying information in it as well as a paddle in the water near Gooseberry Island.

There was no sighting of anyone in the water, and no missing person report has been filed.

The search was eventually called off, but the Coast Guard says false alarms like this tie up resources.

“Searches are very expensive. It costs the Coast Guard $11,000 this morning just to get a helicopter up and about $3,000 for each small boat the Coast Guard puts out per hour,” said Petty Officer Adam Hanson from the Castle Hill Coast Guard Station.  

The Coast Guard does provide “if found” stickers for paddle craft owners to be used in such circumstances.

©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2016