A helicopter crew from Sitka Air Force Base spent the weekend searching for a woman who reportedly fell from a fishing boat in the waters near Elfin Cove.

In an interview with KCAW, Chief Petty Officer Travis Magee said the Coast Guard received a mayday call just before 8 p.m. Saturday (10.8.24) from a person aboard the fishing vessel Faithful who believed a passenger on the boat had fallen overboard. The 38-year-old woman is believed to have disappeared between Gull Island and Mud Bay on the north end of Chichagof Island near Elfin Cove. She was not wearing a life jacket and was dressed in black.

The Coast Guard issued an urgent marine information broadcast informing other vessels in the area of ​​the missing woman. At least ten Good Samaritan vessels responded and assisted the Coast Guard in its search efforts. The Coast Guard also dispatched two cutters, the Pike and the Liberty, and a helicopter crew from Sitka Air Force Base responded within an hour to search the area.

Magee said the Coast Guard and Good Samaritans searched over 176 square nautical miles over the next 24 hours but were unable to locate the missing woman. They called off the search around 9 p.m. Sunday.