Kayaker’s failed voyage cost taxpayers $42K

By KGO Staff

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    SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A kayaker who tried paddling from the Bay Area to Hawaii and had to be rescued is now facing criticism for the cost of his failed attempt.

Seven days into his voyage, the Coast Guard had to rescue Cyril Derreumaux earlier this month.

Some people are upset at Derreumaux because of the $42,000 price tag of his rescue.

The Coast Guard explained how much effort and resources go into ocean rescues.

“We take risks very seriously so we did a planning meeting we made sure we could do that rescue safely,” Leo Zapawa, from the Coast Guard Sector San Francisco. “And because of that, we launched Air Station San Francisco right out of SFO airport, and also we launched a fixed-winged aircraft out of Sacramento. Both of them arrived on scene and we were able to do that rescue safely.”

The Coast Guard says the only time a person would be charged for a rescue is if they made a false distress call.

About a billion dollars in taxpayer money went to the Coast Guard this year for search and rescue operations.

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