CIFR rescues three sturgeon fishermen

By JEREMIAH O’HAGAN Staff Reporter

Camano Island Fire and Rescue (CIFR) crews helped three stranded sturgeon fishermen to shore Thursday morning.

The men, all in their mid-50s, were out in some already choppy weather when the waves suddenly kicked up about 8:30 a.m. and swamped the 20-foot boat, said Levon Yengoyan, assistant chief of CIFR.

With the bow under water, all three men climbed to the stern and one of them used a cell phone to call 911.

Yengoyan said the CIFR bailed and towed the men’s boat to Iverson Beach, where they tied it to a moorage buoy and transported the men to the station to warm up and dry out before giving them a ride to their truck at Kayak Point.

Yengoyan said the experience is a reminder how quickly conditions can change out on the water. Fortunately, all three men had personal flotation devices.