Betton Island. (Alaska Department of Natural Rescources photo)
A boater reported overdue Sunday evening was rescued early Monday morning from Betton Island close to Ketchikan.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday that Knudson Cove Marina reported the boater overdue. The man had rented a skiff from the marina Sunday morning, and had not returned by sunset that evening.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Lauren Steenson says the Coast Guard deployed an Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and a Station Ketchikan 25-foot small response boat.
“They conducted some searches last night and did not find the man. This morning at approximately 5 a.m., they received a 911 call from the boater, and he told them the area he thought he might be,” she said. “They ended up finding him on Betton Island, northeast of Ketchikan.”
The man told Coast Guard crews that he had symptoms of hypothermia. He was taken to emergency medical services personnel in Ketchikan for treatment.
Steenson did not know what delayed the boater’s return to the marina. She did remind boaters to always bring safety equipment, including communication and signaling devices, extra food and water, a set of dry clothes and a personal locator beacon; and to file a float plan.
