GOULDSBORO, Maine — A woman whose kayak capsized Wednesday afternoon was rescued from the chilly ocean by a local lobsterman, but her kayaking guide and a kayaking companion died after they encountered a brief squall off the local village of Corea, according to officials.

“She was conscious, but just barely,” said Bruce Crawley of Corea, who has worked on the sea since age 10 and is the captain of the Cindy Lee. “She was just helpless.”

“She also had the rope from inside her kayak, she wrapped it around her hand,” he said later, adding that might have helped to save her life.

Crawley went searching for the missing kayakers with Lenny Young of Corea after the two stopped at the beach near Corea when Crawley saw the wife of the kayaking guide pacing. She informed them that the three were overdue. He told her to call the Coast Guard and went to his boat.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News>>