KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The Coast Guard Cutter Hickory helped rescue a 35-foot fishing vessel that lost power and was drifting near Sitkinak Island early Thursday morning.
During a distress call made at 7:55 a.m., a crewmember from the Letun reported that the boat’s anchor was no longer holding and that it was adrift 500-yards north of Sitkinak and was in danger of running aground. The crewmember along with two others on board the Letun had set anchor Wednesday night to avoid 35-knot winds and attempt repairs on the failed engine.
The Hickory, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Homer, overheard the distress call on VHF radio and diverted from their patrol to the location of the Letun.
The crew of the Hickory safely towed the boat 25 miles from their location to the port of Lazy Bay located on the south end of Kodiak Island by Thursday afternoon.
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