The Coast Guard pulled a man out of the water last Sunday evening, Nov. 1. The incident occurred in Union Bay, near Meyers Chuck, south of Wrangell. Petty Officer Janessa Warschkow, with the Coast Guard, said that they were notified of a man in need of rescue at about 4:46 p.m. Warschkow said, in an email, that they were on-scene at 9 p.m. According to a Coast Guard press release, an air crew from Sitka and the cutter Anacapa were sent to conduct the search and rescue.
A 70-year-old man was found floating in the water on a piece of debris, according to a press release. His boat, the Irony, had sunk. Warschkow said that they airlifted him out of the water by 9:39 p.m. and was taken to Ketchikan for hospitalization. A press release from the Coast Guard reports that he is in stable condition.
Warschkow credits the man's safety gear and emergency position indicating radio beacon for his survival.
"Luckily he was wearing the proper survival suit," she said.
A vessel under the name Irony is owned by Kurt Brodersen, from the homeport of Meyers Chuck, according to the CFEC public search database.
Kate Govaars, with PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center confirmed that a man by that name was currently under their care, as of Tuesday, Nov. 3. She also reported that he was in good condition.
The cause of Irony's sinking is unknown at this time. Warschkow said that the man was unsure of what happened. They believe inclement weather is to blame, but she said they could not confirm this. There were winds of 50-knots and 10-foot seas that night, she said.
"Thankfully due to the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon we were able to locate the man in the water quickly," Nick Meyers, the Sector Juneau command duty officer, said in a press release. "This allowed us to deploy our survival swimmer and hoist the man to safety to get him to further medical treatment."
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