Marin County Kayaker Possibly Linked To Recent Boat Thefts

LARKSPUR (CBS SF) - Police have called into questioned the account of a woman rescued after a Golden Gate Ferry crew spotted her atop a channel marker who claimed she spent the night adrift in a kayak.

Investigators at the Twin City's Police Department have raised doubts about the woman's claim that she somehow drifted across the Bay after paddling out from Sausalito on Tuesday night, according to the Marin Independent Journal.

Authorities said she was not wearing kayaking gear when a rescue vessel picked her up Wednesday morning, and suffered only a mild case of hypothermia even though she reported being in the kayak all night.

There have been several kayaks stolen recently in Lark Spur and Corte Madera. Some 35 vessels have gone missing on the Sausalito waterfront since 2008.

Police said the woman's kayak had sunk by the time she was rescued, so it could not be examined.

The Golden Gate Ferry official who notified the media of the rescue were surprised a kayaker would drift so far, but added that ferry crews routinely assist in boating rescues.

Sausalito police told the Marin Independent Journal they are working with Twin Cities police on the case, but have yet to uncover any evidence a kayak was stolen this week.

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