After a busy week of water rescue missions, including one that ended tragically, you can't blame the Door County Sheriff's Office for being extra cautious when it comes to finding an empty kayak.

The department recovered a red kayak Thursday morning floating in Green Bay about three miles north of Dyckesville after the U.S. Coast Guard, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and local fire departments also responded. A few hours later, the kayak had been returned to its rightful owner after it had floated away. 

Door County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Kyle Veeser reminds watercraft owners to properly label their vessels so they can be contacted if the craft is found adrift or washes ashore without them.

You can label your vessels and other marine equipment with a permanent marker or use a free, weatherproof watercraft decal from the Coast Guard Foundation or the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.