Police, Coast Guard Rescue Kayaker in Long Island Sound

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A kayaker in distress was rescued from the Long Island Sound on Saturday morning, police said.

According to police, 60-year-old Martha Bailey, of Cheshire, Conn., was kayaking at about 10:50 a.m. when her kayak tipped over and she was thrown into the water about five miles north of Roanoke Point.

Bailey made a radio notification and activated a position beacon, which initiated a search effort by the Suffolk County Police Department and the United States Coast Guard.

Aviation section officers Frank Cooper and Richard Davin, along with flight paramedic Peter Leonard, responded in a Suffolk County Police helicopter and were able to locate Bailey, who was hanging on to her kayak and wearing a lifejacket at 11:08 a.m.

The helicopter crew directed Marine Delta and a Coast Guard vessel to Bailey’s location. Both units arrived and Bailey was taken aboard the Coast Guard vessel to its New Haven station for medical evaluation.

Police said Bailey’s radio and EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) allowed rescuers to quickly determine her position and get rescuers on the way.

The Suffolk Police Marine Bureau reminds mariners to always wear a floatation device, leave a float plan advising someone on shore of your route, destination and scheduled arrival time, carry current safety and signaling gear, and have a means of communication such as a handheld Marine VHF radio. Do not rely on a cellphone for rescue on the water.