Team That Rescued Los Altos Windsurfer Found Her in 'Excellent State of Mind'

The U.S. Coast Guard found 62-year-old stranded windsurfer Cathy Caton healthy and in high spirits after floating for about 10 hours throughout the night near the San Mateo Bridge.

The Los Altos resident set out from the shore along East Third Avenue in Foster City on Monday afternoon and planned to return around 5:30 p.m. But she never came back, so her husband, who was waiting on shore, called 911 at about 7:20 p.m.

The San Mateo-Foster City Fire Department responded, followed a half hour later by the Coast Guard with a helicopter and boat. Other jurisdictions joined the search, but then discontinued after dark, except Alameda County and the San Francisco Fire airport division.

The Coast Guard searched continuously overnight and expanded the search parameters to follow the drift of the current, going from south of the San Mateo Bridge, north to Hunters Point in San Francisco, across the bay to Oakland International Airport and south down the shoreline.

A four-man Coast Guard helicopter team searched an 82-square-mile area all night until finally spotting Caton at 6 a.m. on top of her board near the mid-span of the San Mateo Bridge.

“She was in an excellent state of mind,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Gabe Pulliam, who pulled Caton out of the water and into the helicopter. “And she was wearing the right gear.”

An experienced windsurfer, she could not return to shore when her sail broke. Despite Caton's experience, her husband told the Coast Guard he was nervous she might be weak, because she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

Fortunately, Caton was equipped with a life vest and a 5-millimeter-thick wetsuit, more than sufficient for the low water temperature.

“It was very foggy all night, but once the sun came up, we located her right away,” Pulliam said. 

After spotting Caton, the rescue team loaded her into the helicopter in about five minutes and flew to the U.S. Coast Guard station at the San Francisco International Airport, where paramedics examined her and deemed she was in stable condition.

“Most of the crew had been up 24 hours, but the adrenaline in the search definitely keeps you alert,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Dave Stern.

Local authorities from San Francisco, Foster City, Redwood City and Alameda also assisted in the rescue effort.

Los Altos Patch Editor L.A. Chung contributed to this report.