Coast Guard officials are continuing a search for three hunters overdue on a trip from Montague Island to Whittier aboard a 20-foot Duckworth Jet Boat.
As of New Year’s Eve, the Coast Guard has completed nine search patterns over 1,600 square nautical miles of ocean and planned to resume the search at first light on New Year’s Day, said watchstanders for the Coast Guard 17th District Alaska.
The search has been extremely challenging because of poor visibility, with increased wind and waves, the Coast Guard said.
Anyone in the area has been asked to keep a vigilant eye out and render assistance if the men are spotted. The search began on Dec. 30 after a relative of one of the men reported that they were overdue after going on a trip from Montague Island to Whittier. Last contact was at about 4 p.m. on Dec. 29, when the men called family reporting that they were experiencing engine problems and intended to transit in on their kicker engine.
