It was a busy Tuesday for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Tuesday afternoon, the Coast Guard and a good Samaritan rescued a boater after his catamaran capsized near Sankaty Head Lighthouse off Nantucket. Coast Guard sector Southeastern New England received notice the craft had capsized and one person was in the water. Coast Guard Station Brant Point launched a rescue boat, arrived on scene and discovered a good Samaritan had picked up the boater from the water. He was transferred to the Coast Guard Lifeboat and taken to the station. The boater had been wearing a life jacket and was not injured.
Earlier in the day, around 8 a.m., Coast Guard station Menemsha responded to a report of an unmanned and adrift kayak that contained a wallet and cell phone. A rescue boat and Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod along with the Buzzards Bay Task Force began a search. About two hours later, the Coast Guard received a call from Robert Kaminski, 48, who said he was the missing kayaker and that he was knocked from his craft Monday night while going from Gooseberry Island to Cuttyhunk Island. The seas made it too rough to stay with the kayak so he swam to Nashawena Island and collapsed from exhaustion. When he awoke he went to the first house he found to let people know he was alive. Kaminski was airlifted to Barnstable Municipal Airport and taken to Cape Cod Hospital to be checked out.