Munising ship captain receiving Coast Guard award

The United States Coast Guard is honoring a captain at Shipwreck Tours in Munising Wednesday morning for her efforts to save the lives of two kayakers last fall. The quickly changing conditions on Lake Superior September 20th proved a danger as 30 mph winds whipped up waves over four feet near Grand Island.

For 90 minutes the individuals paddled against the elements, unable to reach a safe harbor. Captain Kate Faust was piloting the Shipwreck Express with 51 passengers on board for a sightseeing tour of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Upon seeing the kayakers, she rescued them using a homemade lift that is rigged to the side of the vessel.

Faust will receive the Captain David P. Dobbins Award, presented by Sector Sault Ste. Marie at 9:00 AM at Shipwreck Tours. The full press release is below.

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The United States Coast Guard will present the Captain David P. Dobbins Award for excellence in search and rescue at 9:00 am on June 16, 2021. The award ceremony will be held at Shipwreck Tours LLC in Munising, MI.

The Captain David P. Dobbins Award is presented in recognition of outstanding actions accomplished while prosecuting search and rescue missions on the Great Lakes. It links the outstanding performance of today to the heritage of Captain Dobbins, the first Superintendent of the U. S. Lifesaving Service’s Great Lakes Ninth District in 1876. Captain Dobbins, a native of Erie, Pennsylvania, and a schooner master, distinguished himself by performing and organizing heroic rescue efforts for the Schooner Oneida in 1853, the Schooner Comet in 1860, and many others even before the Lifesaving Service was officially established. His heritage, initiative and professionalism live on through today’s search and rescue personnel.

Captain Anthony Jones, Sector Commander of Sector Sault Ste. Marie, will recognize Captain Kate Faust and her crew of the SHIPWRECK EXPRESS for their efforts to save two kayakers on the afternoon of September 20, 2020. Capt. Faust observed two kayakers in distress near Grand Island, MI while underway for a signseeing cruise with 51 passengers onboard. The kayakers were struggling to paddle against 32 mph winds in 3-4 foot seas for over 90 minutes. Without hesitation, she altered course to render assistance. With masterful skill and in short order, Capt. Faust rescued the two kayakers and recovered their watercraft in extremely difficult conditions using her vessel’s homemade man overboard recovery system. Once on board, she monitored them inside the safety and comfort of her vessel, where they rested and rehydrated. Capt. Faust’s quick response and skillful seamanship undoubtedly assisted two lives that day.