(CNN) A family's vacation on Lake Superior took a tragic turn when a kayak capsized, killing the father and three young children and leaving the mother as the sole survivor.

Cari Mews, 29, and Erik Fryman, 39, took their children on an end-of-the-summer trip to visit the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin. The family of five from Loyal, Wisconsin, vacationed in the area last year and looked forward to visiting again, Bobi Jo Mews, Cari's sister, told CNN affiliate WCCO.

"They loved to go camping together and they took their kids everywhere and explored the world," she told the TV station.

They were kayaking from Madeline Island to Michigan Island on Thursday afternoon when the wind and waves started picking up and caused water to get into the kayak, US Coast Guard spokesman Alan Haraf told CNN. The family's 13 ½-foot craft tipped over and all five, each wearing a life jacket, fell into the open water, Haraf said.

Cari Mews was able to use her cell phone, which was stored in a water-proof bag, to text her sister.

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