The border of Sonoma and Marin County along the Pacific Ocean is defined by Estero Americano, a unique tidal estuary known for wildlife and recreation ranging from hiking and boating.
A recreational boating experience required emergency rescue yesterday afternoon after a canoe or a kayak (still trying to determine which) became stuck in the mud of a tidal flat and two adults and one child would be hoisted into a rescue helicopter using the long-line rope rescue and returned to safety.
Scanner traffic beginning around 4:58 p.m. indicated Henry 1, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, was flying Estero Americano actively lifting an 8-year-old child off of a boat.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter followed quickly behind and was able to extricate the two adults left on the small boat. All three were then flown to the Valley Ford area where they were returned to their vehicle uninjured.
The Coast Guard was contacted to assist in retrieving the abandoned boat still stuck in the mud.
A post from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s indicated the small boat was a canoe, unlike the scanner traffic which indicated the small boat was a kayak.
An image released by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office shows the 8-year-old boy in the arms of a rescue paramedic as the helicopter crew carries the boy back to land.
Shout out to Facebook page Sonoma County Scanner Updates for its live coverage of the rescue which allowed us to write this over.
play in the mud and then get a helicopter ride, what kid would not love that?