Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Charter boat capsized out of Sitka

Weather can spoil the best of plans.

That was called a Nantucket sleighride back in the Whaling Days

I fear for the charter company. Going out in weather that bad then having all the clients die. I can only imagine the circling group of attorneys waiting to strike.
This didn't end well for the clients and driver, and it won't end well for the charter company.

Worse was the huge lag in reporting an overdue boat... not that it would have saved lives, likely, but more bodies would probably have been found.

The two females were sisters, their brother, mother and father were out on another boat from the lodge fishing.

I saw one photo that showed the bow about 6-7 feet out of the water. Possibly a CG photo.
The poor soul above was probably trying to stay with the hull until hypothermia did him in.

“The bodies of two women were recovered Wednesday from a Sitka fishing charter boat that capsized Sunday night in the deadliest incident in the Alaska charter industry in decades.

The 30-foot Awakin had five people aboard when it capsized in rough seas near Low Island, about 10 miles west of Sitka. Two men remained missing as of Thursday.

Searchers on Sunday night found the body of Maury Agcaoili, 57, of Waipahu, Hawaii, in the water less than 100 yards from the boat.


On Wednesday evening, divers recovered the bodies of sisters Danielle Agcaoili, 53, also of Waipahu, and Brandi Tyau, 56, of Canoga Park, California, from inside the partly sunken vessel, Alaska State Troopers said.

Agcaoili and Tyau were on a trip to Alaska with their husbands and other family members, the Associated Press reported.


Passenger Robert Solis, 61, of Canoga Park, and boat captain Morgan Robidou, 32, of Sitka were still considered missing.

On Wednesday, the seas were calm enough for divers to enter the vessel while it was still submerged, said troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel.


Previously, the “sea state was too intense to get inside the boat,” said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Ian Gray.

Efforts to refloat the boat and tow it to Sitka are ongoing, Gray said. The Coast Guard is investigating what led the boat to capsize.”

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/202...kage-of-fishing-charter-boat-near-sitka/

I’m still thinking they got too close to the shoals and got rolled by a bmf wave.

That would be a good bet.

One thing is for sure, if you are in the drink in the Northern Pacific, it does not take long to be dead from Hypothermia.

Tragic, RIP to all on Board

I had been wondering if the other victims were cabbed up when the accident happened and could not get out. Hopefully they got knocked unconscious before drowning.

I had the same thought. 😬

I was reading about the Defiance fishing team and their experience rolling a 29’ Guadalupe in the surf break. They were all ok but the skipper had an auto-inflate PFD and it inflated almost trapping him in the cabin.

Last time I went fishing in AK there was a group from MN on the plane by me that fish with Kingfisher every year.

Lots of hits on YouTube with a "Kingfisher Charters Sitka" search.

Many of their clients post their video memories of fishing with them.

Not to be confused with Kingfisher Lodge out of Craig AK.

The rumor up here is that he got too close in to the rocks and got caught by a breaker. If that’s the close, total Captain error. I used to fish/surf in that exact area and there are some big breakers on those rocks.

If the electronics survived, forensics can establish how much time the vessel dwelled in that area.

Update:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/3-dead-2-missing-family-053521708.html

"Coast Guard investigators are working to determine the timeline and cause of the incident. The area was experiencing 6-foot to 11-foot (1.8- to 3.35-meter) waves, a Coast Guard spokesperson said."

Not my kind of fishing weather

I've had a steering cable snap while underway. Luckily on a river and not in a bad spot. I can only imagine out there in those conditions. Also had one snap on an airboat and we hit the bank and all were ok since we were not high speed at the time. Its a bit interesting when you all of a sudden have no control on direction.

Rumor I’m hearing now is I would have lost that bet.

Some of the early speculation appears to have been correct - if the most recent rumors are confirmed.

Sad as hell.

Anchor tangled? Everyone ran to the same corner and swamped the boat?
? ? ?