The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a tugboat captain Wednesday morning.
The tugboat Maia H was in Chatham Strait about 30 miles east of Sitka, a Coast Guard press release said. The 61-year-old was experiencing possible stroke symptoms.
Sector Juneau watchstanders sent an Air Station Sitka helicopter crew to the scene. They took him to Sitka for medical care.
“The tugboat’s crew was monitoring the captain’s vitals, and they did a great job to get the man positioned for the hoist,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Tyler Sojka said in the release. Sojka is an aviation survival technician at Air Station Sitka and assisted with the hoist. “It was an efficient hoist, and we were able to get the man to EMS quickly.”
Weather at the time of the hoist was 25-mph winds with 2-foot seas.
