A capsized kayaker was rescued by the crew of Washington State Ferry’s M/V Kaleetan on May 17 in the vicinity of Orchard Point near the Bremerton to Seattle route.

According to WSF spokesman Dana Warr, the ferry was conducting its routine Bremerton-Seattle evening ferry route when the kayak and the man were spotted in the water.

“That’s when the crew rang the bells on the ship to launch the rescue boat, which is standard procedure,” he said. ‘Crews train for it so they were able to get the rescue boat in the water about three minutes after being notified. Kudos to the crew for quickly responding.”

The man, identified as Ned Williams, was picked up by the crew and was placed aboard the vessel. Williams suffered mild hypothermia as a result of the ordeal. WSF crews called EMS to notify them the survivor was conscious and that they would meet them at Coleman Dock in Seattle.

“It was a very rapid response and is an indication of the training that our crews do,” Warr said. “Being able to respond that quickly takes away from the person being in the water that much longer.”

Kitsap Transit also assisted in the rescue efforts by having the Rich Passage 1 — which was on its fast ferry route from Bremerton to Seattle — retrieve the kayak from the water, said Kitsap Transit’s Public Information Officer, Sanjay Bhatt.

The cause of the capsize is still unknown, Warr said.