Boater Swims To Shore After 40-Foot Fishing Boat Sinks In Alaska

This is the moment a boater is rescued after his 40-foot fishing vessel sank near Murder Cove, forcing him into a life raft before he eventually swam to shore.

The boater was last heard from around 6 a.m. Sunday aboard the wooden fishing vessel Tyee. He had departed Sitka on Friday and was planning to reach Ketchikan on Monday evening or Tuesday.

After unsuccessful attempts to contact him by VHF radio and cellphone, Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka and the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Pike.

Around 3 p.m., a fishing vessel acting as a good Samaritan reported finding an ice chest and life raft in Murder Cove.

The Coast Guard helicopter located the man around 5 p.m. on the shore of Admiralty Island, about two miles east of Murder Cove. The crew hoisted him aboard and flew him to Sitka for treatment by awaiting EMS personnel.

The survivor said he had put on a survival suit and entered the life raft after the Tyee began taking on water and sank around 5 p.m. He then swam to shore after the life raft also began taking on water.

The survivor was reported to be in stable condition.