By Karen Robes Meeks
On Sunday night, the US Coast Guard called off its more than 35-hour search for a man who reportedly did not return from tending crab pots near Whittier, Alaska.
The man left on a 16-foot red skiff in Passage Canal and was expected to return around 1 p.m. Saturday.
Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews, a Coast Guard Station Valdez boatcrew and the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Mustang scoured a 10 square-mile area in Passage Canal and Whittier Harbor in search for the missing man.
Good Samaritan vessels Qayaq Chief and Krystalsea also helped in the search Saturday.
“Coast Guard crews and good Samaritan crews saturated the waters of Passage Canal and Whittier Harbor over two days to locate the missing boater,” said Michael McNeil, command duty officer for Sector Anchorage. “We search for every missing person as if we are searching for one of our own. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the missing boater during this difficult time.”
