JUNEAU, Alaska – The Coast Guard recued a 63-year-old male Thursday after his vessel ran aground on the southeast side of Hump Island, Alaska.

A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew located the man at a cabin on Hump Island at approximately 8:20 a.m. The aircrew landed, embarked the man, and transferred him to local EMS at Juneau International Airport.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska received a report from a friend of the overdue boater at 12:40 a.m. Thursday that he witnessed the 63-year-old man run hard aground in a 16-foot skiff at Hump Island. The friend reported that the on-scene weather didn’t allow him to assist, and that the man didn’t have communication or survival equipment.

Involved in the search was:

• Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrews
• Coast Guard Station Juneau 45-foot Response Boat medium boat crew

“The weather conditions made the search difficult, but our crews persisted,” said Lt. Lindsey Wheeler, Sector Southeast Alaska command duty officer. “Boaters are encouraged to always carry multiple means of communication to assist our crews in a timely response.”

On-scene weather at the time of the initial report were winds: 26 knots gusting to 37 knots, seas: 3 feet, water temperature: 50 degrees, air temperature: 50 degrees.

  coastguard, grounding, humpisland, juneau, rescue