The U.S. Coast Guard is asking Lake Superior kayakers and canoeists to put free identification stickers on their crafts in the event they are swept away on the lake.
Since May, the Coast Guard has received 12 notifications from citizens reporting adrift and unmanned kayaks, dinghies and canoes. When a boat is found floating with no owner or operator on board, there is no way for the Coast Guard to determine if the person is in distress from a tragic accident.
The Coast Guard spends thousands of dollars each year engaged in search-and-rescue operations on cases in which the paddler was not in danger, according to a Coast Guard news release.
The Coast Guard is urging paddlers to label their crafts with a free orange sticker that can be picked up at any local Coast Guard Station. Each sticker provides room for the craft's owner to list his or her name, phone number and cell phone number in case the craft is found drifting.
