KODIAK, Alaska – A Whittier-based Coast Guard Auxiliary crew towed the disabled 20-foot aluminum jet boat, Thumper, with three fishermen aboard 11 miles to Whittier Harbor Thursday.
Anthony Jenson, Dusty (last name unknown) and Andy Webber were reported overdue from their fishing trip to Coast Guard Sector Anchorage command center watchstanders by the Whittier Harbormaster at 9:50 a.m. The men had reportedly left Schmitty Cove in the boat to set shrimp pots and possibly transit to Blackstone Bay.
The Whittier Auxiliary Flotilla and an Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, forward deployed to Cordova, found the three men at 12:45 p.m. anchored in Pigot Bay due to engine failure. The auxiliary crew operating a Coast Guard 25-foot Response Boat-Small safely towed the three men and their vessel to Whittier, arriving at 2:45 p.m.
The Coast Guard encourages all boaters to use float plans and travel with communication devices while transiting Alaskan waters. Float plans allow Coast Guard personnel to narrow search areas and potentially find boaters faster. Coast Guard personnel can render assistance or advise family members boaters are delayed but safe. Boaters should travel with a marine VHF radio and another form of communication like an emergency position indicating radio beacon, satellite phone or personal locator beacon. Being able to contact the Coast Guard and local responders is critical in the event of an emergency.
Weather in the area is reported as mostly cloudy, 51 degrees, winds at 7 mph, and a water temperature of 46 degrees.