DULUTH – The U.S. Coast Guard expects to close its Grand Marais station after this summer, leaving the Duluth station as the closest Coast Guard response site for major Lake Superior emergencies.

The station was established in 1929, and in 1988 it was moved to seasonal status. A rotating crew of four from Duluth staffs it from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

For the past 10 years, the station has responded to about one emergency per season, said Lt. Paul Rhynard, public information officer for the Coast Guard's Great Lakes Region.

"It no longer seemed viable to keep it open," he said, pointing to the capabilities of today's aircraft and boats.

Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen said the closure means more training, equipment and probably a bigger boat for the Cook County Sheriff's Office and its search and rescue team.

He added the closing still was unfortunate. "That was a treasured resource we had, especially with the amount of tourism and boat activity in the summer months," he said.

The Sheriff's Office, which has jurisdiction 7 miles out on Lake Superior but responds to calls from inland lakes more often, has an 18-foot boat.

"It can get out there in most circumstances, but when seas are rough or waves are high, sometimes it doesn't matter how big your boat is," Eliasen said, which is why training will be just as crucial.

It takes a Duluth crew between 90 minutes and two hours to get to Grand Marais by boat, depending on conditions, said Master Chief Chris Zahn, head of the Duluth Coast Guard station.

"Historically, it has not happened often," he said.

Cook County Chief Deputy Will Sandstrom said commercial anglers and charter captains in the past have been quick to jump in their boats to help.

The picturesque property will have a caretaker in the short-term, but "the goal is to divest it," Rhynard said, likely to a governmental body. The Sheriff's Office is interested in storing its vessels and equipment at the station to have faster access to the water.

Officially called Station (Small) North Superior, it oversees about 10 miles offshore between Two Harbors and the international border, including Isle Royale. It is one of four across the country slated for consolidation in the coming year.

Jana Hollingsworth • 218-508-2450