Stranded Paddleboarder Found Safely

On Sunday the Coast Guard found a paddleboarder who had been stranded overnight on the Marin Islands off San Rafael. Jane Butler was reported missing by her son after she failed to return from an evening paddle.

"Coast Guard and local agency crews searched extensively throughout the night and early morning," a USCG press release said. "Coast Guard assets covered 177 cumulative track-miles." 

Early Sunday morning, 60-year old Butler was found paddling back toward San Rafael. She said she spent the night on the "largest of the Marin Islands," which are about a mile from the entrance of San Rafael Creek.

Butler told the Coast Guard that she’d been stranded by the tide and was unaware that the Coast Guard was looking for her. "The Mission City patrol boat crew said they checked for her with their thermal imager, but she did not give off a heat signature," the press release said. "The officers said her heat signature was likely masked because she was wet and wearing a wet-suit top." 

While undoubtedly cold and tired, Butler was uninjured.  

"The Coast Guard wants to emphasize the importance of checking the tides and weather before going out on the Bay due to the dynamic nature of the elements," said Captain Tony Ceraolo, the commander of Sector San Francisco.