BIDDEFORD (AP) – Searchers found the body of a missing kayaker Wednesday after his boat was capsized by a rogue wave the night before, officials said.
The body of Timothy Gutmann, 40, of Durham, N.H., was found at 2 p.m. in the waters off Biddeford, the Coast Guard said.
Gutmann and Brandon Andrusic, 40, of Biddeford were in single kayaks about a mile from shore when they were hit by a large swell around 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Andrusic managed to make it to safety on Wood Island, where he spent the night because of weather conditions and exhaustion, according to the Coast Guard.
A search was launched after Andrusic paddled back to the mainland Wednesday morning and called for help, officials said.
Gutmann was a mathematic professor at the University of New England in Biddeford, where Andrusic is a graduate admissions counselor, according to the school.
Biddeford, Saco and Scarborough Fire Department crews sent out search and rescue boats soon after the call came in. The Coast Guard and Maine Marine Patrol joined the search, which was focused about a mile offshore.
Andrusic, who declined medical treatment, told authorities the wave capsized both kayaks and that he lost sight of Gutmann after righting his boat, the Coast Guard said.
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