Coast Guard searching for possible person in distress near Irondequoit Bay

CLEVELAND – The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a possible person in distress just outside of Irondequoit Bay near Rochester, N.Y., after receiving a report of a capsized canoe there at about 3 p.m., Monday.

A good samaritan called the Coast Guard after spotting the bow of the overturned 16-foot aluminum-hull canoe about one-quarter of a mile outside the entrance to Irondequoit Bay.

The Coast Guard launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Station Rochester and an MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew from Air Station Detroit. In the meantime, the harbormaster located the canoe and brought it to shore. The Sea Breeze and West Webster fire departments are also assisting with the search.

Inside the green canoe was a phone number for a rental company and an Aqua Marine Pleasure Craft sticker. The person who answered the phone when responders called the number stated that the company sold the canoe in 1993. Nothing else was found in the vicinity of the canoe.