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Search and rescue currently going on in Icy Strait. Overturned seiner Wind Dancer, epirb activated. Survival suits and popped (but inflated) life raft have been found in the water.
I was supposed to drop a friend off at the ferry in Juneau today but the boat is assisting until more coastguard shows up. 40kt winds, gusts to 50kts in the search area.

Please pray for the crew. Undoubtedly we'll know them.

What boat?

I sent you a PM. Not comfortable with it public yet.

Update: Wind Dancer

I saw some stuff on FB. Not good.

Vessel name is in the ADN article; it’s public.

Godspeed to the searchers. As Calvin said, sounds pretty grim.

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/202...t-capsizes-in-seas-off-southeast-alaska/

Coast Guard and good Samaritans search for people on board fishing boat that capsized in seas off Southeast Alaska
By Anchorage Daily News
Updated: 1 minute ago
Published: 1 hour ago
The U.S. Coast Guard and good Samaritans, including a state ferry, are searching Sunday for multiple missing people who were on board a commercial fishing boat that reportedly capsized in cold seas in Icy Strait, southwest of Juneau.

Five people were thought to be on board based on “reports from individuals familiar with those aboard the vessel,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. “This number has not been confirmed and is subject to change pending new information.”

Searchers have found cold-water safety gear and other emergency items but no people yet in the search area, according to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard reported heavy snow and strong winds up to 45-60 mph in the area Sunday, with 6-foot seas.


Around 12:10 a.m. Sunday, crew on board the roughly 50-foot-long vessel Wind Walker reported that “they were overturning” in a mayday call that was received by Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska watchstanders, the Coast Guard said.

“The watchstanders attempted to gather additional information but received no response,” the Coast Guard said in its statement.

They received an emergency radio beacon alert registered to the Wind Walker, with location information originating from an area in Icy Strait south of Point Couverden, according to the Coast Guard.

Watchstanders issued an urgent broadcast and launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Sitka and a 45-foot response boat from Juneau to search the area, the Coast Guard said.


The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Hubbard, which was the first to arrive at the scene, had heard the broadcast and offered to help, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard said that “seven cold-water immersion suits and two strobe lights have been located in the water in the search area” as responders continue searching for those missing.

The Wind Walker’s hailing port is Sitka, according to a federal database.

The search effort includes personnel from Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska, Coast Guard Station Juneau, Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the Hubbard state ferry.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

"The search effort includes personnel from Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska, Coast Guard Station Juneau, Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the Hubbard state ferry."
Translated from bureaucrat: we had some people asking stupid questions over the radio while the Hubbard was trying to help. The Healy happened to be driving by and after several hours arrived on scene too late to save anyone.

No coast guard boats from Juneau were deployed. Cutter reef shark is sitting in Auke Bay; they didn't even bother to shovel the snow off. You cannot count on them for help.

Last I knew the Reef Shark was only used as a training vessel, but maybe that's just hearsay.

They certainly were out in force harassing boaters about licenses and registrations this summer. For a few weeks they were a blockade just past the breakwater in Auke Bay.

sad news , hard on the familys involved

I got this response from someone "in the know" with cg.


"The Coast Guard has a rotation of cutters from Juneau, Petersburg, and Ketchikan that stand as “the ready cutter” in Southeast waters. (Basically Dixon Entrance to Cross Sound). That 1 cutter is underway and ready to respond. When a cutter is inport, like Reef Shark is right now, it is in a maintenance status and can’t get underway fast - like 12 hours or 24/48 hours depending on which maintenance status it is in and how many systems need to get put back together.

The CG small boat stations overlap the one large area of “Southeast” in busier sections - like Juneau and Ketchikan. These stations always have a 24 hour response and can operate decently far away … the Juneau 47 was deployed for this case. The small boat station also has boats in a maintenance phase.

Finally the Coast Guard Air Station (Sitka and Kodiak) have a 24/7 response and the fastest response window. Air Station Sitka’s response area is the same as the patrol boats (like the Reef Shark). Air Station Sitka also has multiple helicopters to ensure 1 is always available for a ready response.

So the patrol boats - like Reef Shark - are rotating through a response the same way small boat stations are and air station helicopters are… it’s just that you don’t see the other patrol boats because they work out of other towns.

In a case like this, where people are in the water, the response time needed is in minutes and not hours. Reef Shark wouldn’t be of any assistance by the time the boat was able to be underway. Station Juneau and Air Sta were both deployed with the 60 being the best response asset the Coast Guard has for this case.

Coast Guard Cutter Healy was also vectored over. Healy is an ice breaker with a mostly scientific mission. They can do Search and Rescue but it’s not their primary mission. However since they were nearby heading for their patrol the Coast Guard still called them, using all available assets.

It’s very similar to the fire response in the city here… you wouldn’t expect every single fire truck and every single fireman to respond to all fires 24/7. The rotation of personnel and assets are needed for continuous coverage and support.

I hope that helps you understand how the local assets in all of Southeast Alaska respond to emergencies."

Big tides and high winds. Ferry from pow couldn’t dock in ktn today and had to turn around. This next stretch of weather will be tough.

I saw video from the ferry on scene of the life raft with strobe going off but it appeared the raft didn’t inflate?

Or could have got torn on any number of things from the vessel before it was detached.

Is there any way we can see that video?

The suck thing is that there’s any number of places there they could’ve ducked in and hid from the weather. I was out all day yesterday and once you got away from the outer coast it was cold. I wonder if they had icing.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19sHQk2jzN/?mibextid=UalRPS

Maybe that will work

CG is saying no one found despite social media posts saying some have been rescued

Calvin, that link at least worked for me. Thank you.

Hasn't exactly been boating weather around here this past week.

That's it in a nutshell. Alpha is underway. There are varying levels of Bravo, which is standby. Typically B-2,12, or 24, indicating the amount of time they have to get underway. Charlie is maintenance status. Depending upon the maintenance being done, they can be down hard or can get going relatively quickly.

Tough case. That is a hostile environment up there. Without immersion suits and an EPIRB or PLB, you are doomed.

Sounds like they had a location (EPIRB) but my guess would be no time to don suites. Who knows on the raft; I suspect it will come out. From the time the call went out until the helo arrived on scene - anyone know a time frame?