A Coast Guard helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka medevaced a fisherman from a Canadian fishing vessel just south of Dixon Entrance on Friday.
Around 6 p.m. on March 10, Coast Guard watchstanders in Juneau received a call from Canadian Maritime Rescue personnel, who reported that a crew member on the 72-foot F/V Freeport needed emergency medical care.
The Sitka Jayhawk arrived on scene shortly before 8 p.m. and hoisted the 24-year-old crewmember. Petty Officer First Class Ali Blackburn told KCAW that the helicopter pilot said it was a tricky maneuver:
“After speaking with the pilot who was in the helicopter, he did say that there were a lot of hazards present during the rescue. And you know, it just kind of speaks to these guys ability to perform their job in hazardous conditions and and save lives,” Blackburn said. “There were cables and rigging and wind and heavy weather. So it creates a challenging hoist scenario…They train in this type of weather all the time. They’re constantly doing training and they safely executed the mission, and, at the end of the day, just performed the way they always perform. And that was really well.”
The Sitka crew took the fisherman to Masset, a town in British Columbia, where he was received by an emergency medical team.
Weather on scene included 10 knot winds and 10 mile visibility.
