Pullers from the Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe, front, paddle their canoe toward a ceremonial landing Monday in Neah Bay. Eighty-six canoes from across the Pacific Northwest joined in the 2010 Tribal Canoe Journey. Nine people were rescued Monday off Port Townsend after their canoe overturned in Salish Sea waters during the annual journey.
Source: Associated Press
SEATTLE — Nine people were rescued Monday off Port Townsend after their canoe overturned in Salish Sea waters during the annual Intertribal Canoe Journey.
The U.S. Coast Guard says there were no serious injuries. Some of them experienced mild hypothermic conditions after being in the frigid waters.
The Coast Guard says the first calls to 911 came in around 7:30 Monday, apparently from someone in the water. The capsized canoe was also spotted by a passing cargo ship that saw people waving their arms.
The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter and a 45-foot response boat that reached the group in the water.
For more than two decades, Native American tribes in Washington state, Alaska and British Columbia embark on a canoe journey to honor their culture in the region, visiting different coastal towns.