The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for five missing mariners after their fishing boat capsized near Point Couverden.
The Coast Guard received a mayday call shortly after midnight on December 1 from the Wind Walker, a 52-foot seiner based in Sitka. The crew reported that their boat was overturning. Attempts by the Coast Guard to gather additional information from the crew over the radio failed. Soon after, an emergency position-indicating radio beacon registered to the Wind Walker was detected just south of Point Couverden, in Icy Strait.
For 24 hours, the Coast Guard searched over 108 nautical miles for the missing crew to no avail. Chief Warrant Officer James Koon is a search and rescue mission coordinator for the Coast Guard in Southeast Alaska. In a statement issued on Monday afternoon (Dec 2), he wrote, “We stand in sorrow and solidarity with the friends and family of the people we were not able to find over the past 24 hours.” The Coast Guard did not release the names of the passengers on the vessel, but confirmed to KCAW that next of kin have been notified.
While the Coast Guard has suspended the search for now, it could pick up again pending new information. Anyone with new information about this situation is requested to contact Coast Guard headquarters in Juneau at 907-463-2980.
Initial report (12-1-24, 5 p.m.)
The Coast Guard has released no new information regarding the search for a seiner which reportedly capsized in heavy weather near Hoonah early Sunday morning.
The Coast Guard received a mayday call shortly after midnight on December 1 from the Wind Walker, a 52-foot seiner based in Sitka. The crew reported that their boat was overturning. Attempts by the Coast Guard to gather additional information from the crew over the radio failed. Soon after, an emergency position-indicating radio beacon registered to the Wind Walker was detected just south of Point Couverden, in Icy Strait.
This type of device – called an EPIRB – is attached to the cabin of a boat, and releases automatically when submerged.
The state ferry Hubbard was in the vicinity and overheard the mayday, and diverted to Wind Walker’s last reported location to begin the search. A helicopter from Air Station Sitka and a 45-foot medium-response boat from Coast Guard Station Juneau arrived and joined the Hubbard, as did the Coast Guard cutter Healy.
The Coast Guard believes five crew were on board the Wind Walker when it capsized. Reports on social media claiming that some of the victims had been found were incorrect: So far, only seven survival suits and two strobe lights have been located in the water in the search area.
Local weather conditions in Icy Strait early Sunday morning included heavy snow, 45-60 mile-per-hour winds, and 6-foot seas. –30–
