It was at about 12:30pm on Saturday that two men, James Demmert and Paul Washington departed Hydaburg to do some subsistence fishing near Lime Point. When they did not return that day after their planned trip, troopers were contacted and advised of the overdue boaters.

The troopers on Prince of Wales Island were notified at about 1 am on early Sunday morning of the missing men, it was reported that Demmert and Washington had left in an open skiff and said they would be home before darkness fell.

The Hydaburg Search and Rescue Team and the United States Coast Guard were notified of the missing boaters, and the Hydaburg SAR responded to the area in a three-man SAR Response boat. They left to search the area at 2 am. At 3:30am, the Coast Guard contacted the troopers to report that the Hydaburg SAR Team had located the two men.

The men’s outboard had broken down and the men made it in to a beach in Alder Cove. When found they were uninjured and had built a fire at the beach.

Demmert and Washington were transported back to Hydaburg by Hydaburg SAR.

  Alaska, alder cove, Coast Guard, hydaburg, lime point, missing, overdue boaters, sar, search and rescue