Coast Guard Sector Juneau personnel assisted in the rescue of a man who was experiencing possible signs of a stroke in Chatham Strait on Wednesday, according to a release from the Coast Guard.
Crew from the Maia H — an 83-foot tugboat — called Sector Juneau on Wednesday morning, according to the release, reporting the 61-year-old captain was experiencing stroke-like symptoms. Sector Juneau personnel directed the launch of a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka, which hoisted the man from the tugboat, the release states.
“The tugboat’s crew was monitoring the captain’s vitals, and they did a great job to get the man positioned for the hoist,” said Petty Officer Third Class Tyler Sojka, an aviation survival technician at Air Station Sitka, who assisted with the hoist. “It was an efficient hoist, and we were able to get the man to EMS quickly.”
The boat was about 34 miles east of Sitka when the rescue happened, the release states, with wind at 25 miles per hour and seas at two feet.
Watch video of the rescue below, courtesy of Air Station Sitka.
