Boater swims to Admiralty Island after fishing vessel sinks, rescued by Coast Guard a day later

A man who swam to the shore of Admiralty Island after his 40-foot wooden fishing vessel, the Tyee, went down near Murder Cove spent roughly 24 hours, by his account, in the water and wilderness before a Coast Guard helicopter crew hoisted him aboard Monday. He was flown to Sitka in stable condition, according to a Coast Guard news release issued Wednesday.

The Tyee left Sitka on Friday bound for Ketchikan, where the boater intended to arrive Monday evening or Tuesday. He was last heard from near Murder Cove, at the southern end of Admiralty Island, at about 6 am Sunday. Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska watchstanders received the report that he was missing at 10:28 am Monday. The release does not say who made that report.

Attempts to reach him by VHF radio and cellphone failed. Watchstanders then launched an MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka. They also dispatched the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Pike. At about 3 pm, a fishing vessel acting as a good Samaritan reported finding an ice chest and a life raft in Murder Cove. Two hours later, the helicopter crew located the man on the shore two miles east of the cove. They hoisted him aboard and delivered him to waiting EMS in Sitka.

According to the survivor's account relayed by the Coast Guard, the Tyee began taking on water and sank around 5 pm Sunday. He put on a survival suit and got into a life raft. When the raft also began taking on water, he swam for shore.

"The survivor donning an immersion suit drastically extended his survival time and gave our search crews the fighting chance needed to bring him home safely," said Cmdr. Rianne Troutman, search and rescue mission coordinator for Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska. "We cannot overstate the importance of carrying proper cold-water survival gear, filing a float plan, and ensuring your safety equipment is accessible before an emergency occurs."

The release does not name the boater or say what caused the Tyee to flood.