It does seem a bit at odds with my experience monitoring VHF 16 while sailing. When someone is in distress or there is a report of an unmanned kayak (extremely

It does seem a bit at odds with my experience monitoring VHF 16 while sailing. When someone is in distress or there is a report of an unmanned kayak (extremely common!), the Coast Guard will almost always put out a call for any mariners in the vicinity to check it out, report back, and provide aid.