Sitka | A search and rescue team from Angoon rescued a Sitka crab fisherman whose boat rolled over and sank in Chatham Strait on Thursday.
59-year-old Peter Roddy was underway on his 42-foot crabber, the Jager, when the bow rolled, and the stern went underwater.
First Sergeant Charlie Hartzell is the village public safety officer in Angoon. He says Roddy had to act quickly.
“Mr. Roddy stated that he had approximately 10 seconds to release and get into his life raft,” Hartzell said. “After he got into his life raft the vessel rolled to its side and sunk.”
From his life raft, Roddy released smoke, which was spotted by a passing aircraft. The call for help came in to Angoon around 11:50 a.m. Thursday.
“Angoon Search and Rescue was in the vicinity with our rescue craft,” Hartzell said. “Mr. Roddy was transferred to Angoon Search and Rescue enroute to Angoon, at which time he was taken to the Angoon SEARHC clinic and released with a clean bill of health.”
Hartzell says visibility at the time of the rescue was 100 percent, with seas around two feet. The National Weather Service office in Juneau reports winds at 10 to 15 knots in the area at the time of the incident.
A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka helicopter flew over the site Friday, and discovered a 10-foot by 3-foot sheen on the water. No debris was spotted. The Coast Guard will continue to monitor the sheen until it’s gone.
