By Jeff Chew
Peninsula Daily News
DUNGENESS — Two rescuers with Clallam County Fire District No. 3 safely rowed to shore two Seattle kayakers who were stranded earlier this week on Graveyard Spit after winds suddenly gusted on Dungeness Bay.
Paddling against winds and whitecaps proved to be too much Monday for Kelly Renner, 42, and her teenaged daughter, Payton, who were new to kayaking.
They quickly became exhausted, rescuers said.
“Their trip out to [New Dungeness] lighthouse was described as enjoyable, but the return trip back to the mainland turned out to be more than they could imagine,” Fire Chief Steve Vogel said.
“As the afternoon progressed, so did the wind speed.”
By 2:10 p.m., winds had peaked, Vogel said, with gusts up to 39 mph.
Don Rice, owner and operator of Dungeness Kayaking, and Tim Hickey, also with the tour group, paddled their kayaks to Three Crabs Restaurant at the end of 3 Crabs Road, where they called the Coast Guard for assistance to rescue the Renners.
Contacted Tuesday, Rice said though he had seen winds come up before on the bay during kayak tours, it was the first time they had stranded anyone in a group he was leading.
He has been running his kayak business based on 3 Crabs Road since 2002.
Vogel said the Coast Guard called on the fire district for help at 4:53 p.m. after determining the waters at the rescue scene were too shallow for an Air Station Port Angeles/Sector Field Office Port Angeles rescue vessel.
Fire District Capt. Marc Lawson and Firefighter-Paramedic Kjel Skov paddled out in a small inflatable rescue raft to reach the stranded Renners.
Vogel said Rice and Hickey originally had wanted to paddle to Dungeness Landing County Park on the bay’s north shore, but winds blew them to 3 Crabs.
“The rescue went well as wind conditions subsided by launch time, and all were safe and regrouped at the Oyster House boat launch” at Dungeness Land County Park at 6:11 p.m., Vogel said.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
