DULUTH – The U.S. Coast Guard expects to close its Grand Marais station after this summer, leaving the Duluth station as the closest Coast Guard response site for major Lake Superior emergencies.
The station was established in 1929, and in 1988 it was moved to seasonal status. A rotating crew of four from Duluth staffs it from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
For the past 10 years, the station has responded to about one emergency per season, said Lt. Paul Rhynard, public information officer for the Coast Guard's Great Lakes Region.
"It no longer seemed viable to keep it open," he said, pointing to the capabilities of today's aircraft and boats.
Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen said the closure means more training, equipment and probably a bigger boat for the Cook County Sheriff's Office and its search and rescue team.
He added the closing still was unfortunate. "That was a treasured resource we had, especially with the amount of tourism and boat activity in the summer months," he said.
The Sheriff's Office, which has jurisdiction 7 miles out on Lake Superior but responds to calls from inland lakes more often, has an 18-foot boat.
"It can get out there in most circumstances, but when seas are rough or waves are high, sometimes it doesn't matter how big your boat is," Eliasen said, which is why training will be just as crucial.
