A helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka spent the weekend searching for a woman who reportedly fell off a fishing vessel in waters near Elfin Cove.
In an interview with KCAW, Chief Petty Officer Travis Magee said that the Coast Guard received a radio mayday call shortly before 8 p.m. on Saturday (8-10-24) from an individual aboard the fishing vessel Faithful, who believed a passenger on the boat had fallen overboard. The 38-year-old woman was suspected to have gone missing between Gull Island and Mud Bay, on the northern end of Chichagof Island near Elfin Cove. She was not wearing a lifejacket and dressed in black.
The Coast Guard issued an urgent marine information broadcast notifying other vessels in the area of the missing woman. At least 10 good samaritan vessels responded and assisted the Coast Guard in search efforts. The Coast Guard also deployed two cutters, the Pike and the Liberty, and a helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka responded within an hour to search the area.
Magee said over the next 24 hours, Coast Guard and good samaritans searched over 176 square nautical miles, but were unfortunately unable to locate the missing woman. They called off the search around 9 p.m. on Sunday.
