Overview

• The girls, ages 8, 10, 13 and 14, were marooned on a small rock island near Black Beach in Silver Bay after losing their paddles Saturday evening.
• A parent called 911 around 8 p.m., and Lake County deputies reached the area by boat but could not safely access the island due to hazardous waves.
• Lake County Rescue rigged a rope relay from a nearby larger island to deliver blankets and food to the swimsuit-clad children as temperatures dropped.
• An MH-60 Jayhawk from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City arrived about 1 a.m., hoisted all four into the helicopter, and landed near the Silver Bay Fire Department for reunification with family and EMS.
• Officials reported no injuries and credited interagency coordination involving the sheriff’s office, Lake County Rescue, Silver Bay police and fire, the Minnesota State Patrol, and a Traverse City crew member on his first Great Lakes rescue.