Kiter tows in stranded boat with young couple and baby on board.

[Todd RT]

So Doug and I are riding last night, on a NE wind, gusting from 18mph to the low to mid 20's. We're on the inside of Caledesi and Honeymoon Islands.

It was an offshore wind, sun was setting, tide ripping out through Hurricane Pass.

I had just landed my kite, when I look South and see Doug towing a small boat. Yes.. with his 16M Cabrinha SB2 and a Jimmy Lewis Flightdeck. I thought he was just towing this stranded boat to Caledesi so they could call the Ranger. But no, Doug tows them across Hurricane Pass, fighting the current and the offshore wind to get them safely to Honeymoon Island.

When they arrived at Honeymoon, I see a young couple, VERY Young, with a baby, I'm guessing no more than 6 months old, in the boat. It's just a little 10ft. plastic dinghy with an electric trolling motor and 2 dead batteries. The baby was strapped to the car seat, which was balanced in the middle of the boat.

To top it off, after getting them safely ashore...Doug kited over to the other side of Honeymoon Island, all the way up to the dock in this marina (you'd have to know the spot to appreciate the tightness in this cove) and gets the Ranger's attention. The ranger then came out and helped the young couple get their boat off Honeymoon, and back to Dunedin Causeway, I guess is where they started.

Kudos to Doug for helping this young couple and their baby!

THIS is the type of kiting stories we need on the news! Not the negative publicity we've had lately!