A man was hospitalized after he fell out of his kayak into the water on Lake Michigan near Winthrop Harbor and had to be rescued by the fire department Tuesday morning.
The Winthrop Harbor Fire Department and Pleasant Prairie Fire Department responded around 8:37 a.m. Tuesday to the area of North Point Marina, 701 North Point Drive in Winthrop Harbor, for a report of a water rescue.
Fire officials said it was reported that a kayaker was in distress on Lake Michigan.
The kayaker was able to call 911 using his cell phone, which initiated the rescue response.
Fire crews arrived and observed a kayaker approximately three-quarters of a mile from shore who appeared to be in trouble.
A charter yacht, The Griffin, volunteered their vessel to assist the Winthrop Harbor water rescue team, fire officials said.
North Point Marina staff and the Winthrop Harbor Police Department deployed their boat to aid in the rescue efforts.
Rescue crews located a 38-year-old Aurora man hanging off the side of his kayak without a life vest.
The man was suffering from hypothermia and exhaustion, fire officials said.
He was safely pulled from the water and transported to Froedtert South Medical Center in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
The Winthrop Harbor Fire Department said they remind the public that Lake Michigan can be “extremely dangerous.”
“All boaters and kayakers are strongly urged to wear a life vest at all times while on the water,” the fire department said.