U.S. Coast Guard crews rescued a windsurfer who got separated from his gear and became stranded near Coyote Point in San Mateo on the evening of Sept. 18.
The windsurfer contacted Coast Guard Sector San Francisco around 5 p.m. via a handheld very high frequency (VHF) radio and said he was separated from his gear, was not wearing a life jacket, and needed immediate assistance, according to the Coast Guard.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew and 45-foot boat responded, and personnel from the San Mateo Fire Department, Coyote Point Harbor and a good Samaritan also arrived in the area of the stranded man.
The Coast Guard boat crew brought the man on board and took him to wait for emergency responders at Coyote Point Harbor.
“We urge anyone getting out on the water to always have a VHF marine radio with them, as they are the most reliable way to contact the Coast Guard in an emergency,” Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffery Taylor said in a statement. “It’s also paramount that anyone heading out on the water wears a life jacket.”
