Yacht runs aground near Hoonah, no injuries

A yacht ran aground Sunday afternoon near Hoonah, a Coast Guard spokesperson said Monday. No injuries were reported.

At about 1 p.m. Sunday, Petty Officer First Class Charly Hengen said, 58-foot pleasure craft Overdrive ran hard aground on Sisters Reef. The reef is located about 26 miles southeast of Auke Bay, Hengen said.

Fortunately for the two people on board the Overdrive, there were three “good Samaritan vessels” in the area that came to their aid, Hengen said. Coast Guard Station Juneau also sent a small-boat crew out to the scene, Hengen said.

“Nobody was in immediate danger or anything like that,” Hengen said.

The vessel was refloated at high tide, Hengen said, and was towed back to Hoonah. Juneau-based tow company Melino’s Marine Services did the job, Hengen said, sending its tow vessel Sea Pirate.

There were an estimated 600 gallons of diesel fuel on board, Hengen said, but there was no fuel spill reported.

Hengen said she wasn’t sure whether the vessel or its owners were local. It’s not immediately clear who the owners are. The only boat of that name listed in the Coast Guard’s vessel documentation system was a 36-foot recreational boat named Overdrive that was registered in Washington before the registration expired in 2009.


• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.