Lake County receives new search-and-rescue vessel

Chuck Olsen | May 7, 2026

Public safety officials gathered in Two Harbors this week to celebrate the arrival of a new rescue boat designed to improve Lake County emergency response capabilities on Lake Superior’s North Shore.

The vessel is one of four custom-built rescue boats funded through a partnership between the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Cook County, using approximately $3 million secured from the Minnesota Legislature. Officials say the boats are intended to help fill a major safety gap created by the 2022 closure of the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Grand Marais.

Lake County Sheriff Nathan Stadler said the new vessel will fill a significant safety gap on the North Shore. “With a boat stationed in Silver Bay, we can get out to a lot of the areas much faster than the Coast Guard coming from either Bayfield or from Duluth.”

Stadler said the enclosed-cabin vessel is larger and safer than the county’s previous boat, which had mechanical problems before being retired.

Grand Portage Tribal Chairman Robert Deschampe said the partnership was driven by increasing concerns about emergency response coverage after the Coast Guard departure from Grand Marais.

“Having this boat to respond to boaters or whatever other water emergencies you would have on Lake Superior is definitely a benefit for everybody,” Deschampe said.

In addition to the Lake County vessel, the event showcased a larger boat capable of transporting more people that will be stationed in Grand Portage.

Seth Moore, director of natural resources for the Grand Portage Band, said the new larger boat could be used to transport firefighters to Isle Royale National Park if a major wildfire occurs there.

The vessels may also support environmental education programs and assist with mutual aid operations involving Isle Royale National Park.

Ruth Vogel, Grand Portage emergency manager, said the tribe is working on an agreement that would allow crews to help with search-and-rescue operations around the island.

“The island is so inaccessible from land and they don’t have as many resources as they could,” Vogel said. “We hope to be able to assist.”

The four boats are now stationed in Grand Portage, Cook County and Lake County, creating expanded emergency coverage along the entirety of Minnesota’s North Shore.

Chairman Deschampe noted that Grand Portage has been protecting Lake Superior for generations. “Lake Superior is our home. Being able to protect the people that go out there…is really a huge thing.”