The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three people Thursday night left stranded in chest-high water near Berners Bay after their jet boat sank.
A Coast Guard Sitka helicopter crew flew out the Lace River, 36 miles northwest of Juneau after Coast Guard watchstanders in Juneau received a distress message via a personal locator beacon, according to a Coast Guard press release.
The helicopter crew hoisted a woman and two men out of the water and transported them to waiting emergency medical personnel on shore in Juneau. The Coast Guard reports that all three were safe with no injuries, but they had no shelter and little food while waiting for help.
The weather on scene at the time was reported to be 58 degrees Fahrenheit with low cloud coverage and 4.5 miles of visibility.
“This case demonstrates the importance of having a signaling device on your person in case an emergency occurs,” said Sector Juneau Command Duty Officer Lt. Kailee Evereteze in a prepared statement. “We were able to quickly locate the vessel owner from the information texted from the personal locator beacon. In addition to beacons, we recommend boaters always wear their life jackets since there is little to no time to put a life jacket on when an incident occurs.”
In the Coast Guard’s press release, Petty Officer 1st Class Bill Colclough said boaters should always carry a signaling device such as a personal locator beacon, a VHF radio or download the Boating Safety mobile app for reporting distress on the water (www.uscg.mil/mobile/).
