Two men who were preparing for the opening of moose hunting season got caught on a sweeper in their jet boat on the Chilkat River near its confluence with the Klehini, according to Alaska State Troopers and the Department of Public Safety.
Wildlife trooper Colin Nemec said neither man was wearing a life jacket, but one was able to make it to shore and had headed toward their cabin to get another boat.
“He made it to the cabin but was unable to start the boat,” Nemec said.
So, the man went back to his trapped jetboat and 83-year-old Ronald Martin to try and convince Martin to swim to shore. Nemec said Martin instead spent Thursday night on the boat.
Troopers said they didn’t get a report of a capsized boat until just after 6:30 p.m. on Friday; it’s not clear why it took so long for someone to call for help. By then, it was too late to reach the area via jet boat, so they called in the U.S. Coast Guard, Nemec said.
“They weren’t able to find anything,” he said. But they did make contact with the man who reported the accident.
At some point in the night it rained and the water levels rose high enough to knock the boat free.
“That’s when Ron went into the water,” Nemec said. “And he got swept down.”
At about 6 a.m. on Saturday a handful of volunteer boats – about 10 people – and wildlife troopers headed upriver to find Martin. A volunteer found his body at 7:30 a.m., not far from where the boat had been caught by the sweeper.
The boat was found later Saturday.
“It will be removed from the river when conditions allow. It has been secured so it will not go anywhere,” wrote Trooper spokesperson Justin Freeman in an email.
Martin’s body was taken to the State Medical Examiner’s Office.