BALTIMORE — Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s daughter and grandson are missing after authorities say they were seen struggling to return to shore in a canoe near Herring Bay, a family member confirmed Friday.
David McKean says his wife, Maeve Fahey Kennedy Townsend, 41, and son, Gideon Joseph Kennedy McKean, 8, are the people last sighted 10 miles south of Annapolis near Herring Bay.
McKean declined to comment further.
Anne Arundel County fire officials say a concerned citizen called 911 around 4:30 p.m. Thursday to report that he saw the woman and her son in a small canoe or kayak from the Columbia Beach community pier.
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for the woman and her son after authorities say they were seen struggling to return to shore in a canoe near Herring Bay.
Anne Arundel County fire officials say a concerned citizen called 911 around 4:30 p.m. Thursday to report that he saw the woman and her son in a small canoe or kayak from the Columbia Beach community pier.
Firefighters arrived at the pier and confirmed the sighting of two people in a small vessel several miles from the pier drifting south in the Chesapeake Bay. They were last sighted 10 miles south of Annapolis near Herring Bay, according to coast guard officials.
Marine units from local law enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard began a search of the Chesapeake Bay by boat and helicopter.
Anne Arundel fire officials say a vessel and paddle were recovered around 7 p.m. east of Rockhold Creek in Deale. The search was called off around 7:30 p.m. due to darkness.
The lead investigating agency, Maryland Natural Resources Police, did not respond to a message requesting comment Friday. Queen Anne’s County police, Anne Arundel County police, Maryland Natural Resources police and Maryland State Police assisted in the search.
Andrew Garte, 63, an avid sailor and kayaker who lives on the West River with the bay right around the corner, said bay conditions Thursday were dangerous for a number of reasons.
The water was frigid and there was a “blasting” wind out of the north, causing “steep, closely paced waves,” conditions under which it would be easy for any small vessel to capsize, Garte said. “This is dry suit weather.”
At 5 p.m. Thursday the water temperature at the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse was 51 degrees and the wind was blowing at approximately 30 mph, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Chesapeake Bay buoys. Overnight, the water temperature dropped.
“All kayakers have trouble in that kind of stuff,” Garte said.
While recreational boating is prohibited under Gov. Larry Hogan’s coronavirus-related shutdown orders, forms of exercise including kayaking and paddleboarding are permitted.
Garte also noted Hogan’s stay-at-home order meant there were “very few eyes” on the water. Particularly with the unfriendly water conditions, “it can look serene but deliver disaster quickly.”
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