By Sentinel Staff
The Coast Guard rescued an overdue boater Monday from Naked Island, 19 miles southwest of Juneau.
A friend had called the Coast Guard in Juneau about 10:30 p.m. Sunday to report the boater, who had left Auke Bay bound for Hoonah in an 18-foot skiff, was overdue.
The 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Coast Guard Station Juneau, the Coast Guard Cutter Liberty, and an aircrew from Air Station Sitka were launched, and the Liberty crew spotted the man as he waved his cell phone flashlight from shore. His skiff was crashing on the rocks, the reports said.
A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the boater at about 2:40 a.m. Monday and flew him to the Juneau airport.
“We want to stress the importance of having proper survival gear on board in case of emergencies,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Matt Bitinas, a command center watchstander for Sector Juneau. “In this case, the boater’s survival equipment helped us see him from a distance and locate him more quickly.”
The weather at the scene was listed as an air temperature of 52 degrees, 5 mph winds, and less than 10-mile visibility.
