By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
A Coast Guard small boat crew towed a disabled fishing vessel with two people and one dog aboard to Juneau over the weekend.
There were no injuries and all were in good condition after the rescue, the Coast Guard said.
Coast Guard Watchstanders, the Sector Juneau command center, received a distress call from the 38-foot fishing vessel Solstraal over VHF Channel 16, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The skipper said the boat’s engine had failed and navigational lights were no longer working, near Point Couverden, about 25 miles west of Juneau.
Watchstangers issued an urgent marine information broadcast on the same channel and launched a 45-foot response boat.
The ferry Leconte was one of the first vessels to arrive in the area, and stayed until the Station Juneau boat arrived. By around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, the Solstraal and Coast Guard boat were at Auke Bay’s Statter Harbor.
“The quick response from the Station Juneau boat crew, and their exceptional skill during the tow, helped these mariners get to safety before the weather got worse,” Lt. jg. Trevor Layman, Sector Juneau command duty officer, said in a news release. “Thankfully, the two people on board and the dog made it out OK, and the fact that the Leconte was ready to assist made a huge difference in the outcome of this rescue.”
Conditions around the time of the tow included winds at 10-15 mph, 2-foot seas, low visibility, an air temperature of 36 degrees and a water temperature of 41 degrees.
