Responders rescued in attempt to rescue stranded boater

  • By DAN BALMER
  • Monday, November 10, 2014 10:45pm
  • News

In an attempt to rescue a stranded boater Sunday night, four Central Emergency Services responders became stranded themselves before the five were rescued hours later.

CES received a distress call at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday from a boater, Eric Ohlson, 47, of Anchorage, who experienced engine failure on his 22-foot vessel on Upper Skilak Lake.

CES Health and Safety Officer Brad Nelson said the 22-foot rigid hull inflatable rescue boat was deployed from the Funny River fire station. With no natural light and high winds by the time the crew of four left the boat launch, the responders had limited visibility on the choppy water, he said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“It seemed like an easy rescue at first,” he said. “(The crew) got out into the water and it was nasty and windy out there and the waves pushed them into rocks and they got stuck.”

The rescue boat ran aground near Caribou Island. Nelson said instead of risking another boat to get stuck in the rough conditions, Alaska State Troopers dispatched an aerial rescue through the Rescue Coordination Center.

Master Sgt. Armando Soria, a controller with the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center said they received notification from two separate personal locator beacons through their satellite notification system. The coordinates from the beacons plotted both points in the Skilak Lake area, according to a press release from the Alaska department of Military Affairs.

Troopers requested assistance from the Alaska Air National Guard, who accepted the mission at 7 p.m. and launched a Pave Hawk helicopter from the 210th Rescue Squadron and a HC-130 “King” aircraft from the 211th Rescue Squadron. Each had a team of Guardian Angels from the 212th Rescue Squadron on board, according to the release.

Ohlson contacted authorities after his boat’s engine jammed, which rendered his vessel out of control. The wind blew his boat across the lake in waves up to six feet high, Soria said in the release.

All five were rescued uninjured by about 10:15 p.m. The Pave Hawk picked up Ohlson and brought him to shore first before returning to pick up the CES crew, who were stranded about a half-mile from the Ohlson, according to the release.

By the time the rescue crew arrived, the winds had blown both boats to the shoreline, which allowed the Pave Hawk to land nearby and pick up the five men, according to the release.

The rescue boat was retrieved by CES Monday morning.

Nelson said because most boaters have put their vessels away for the winter, the rescue boat was stored at the Funny River station, which added to the response time. The CES crew built a campfire to keep warm while they waited to be rescued.

“They got to hang out there for and camp for the night,” he said.

Reach Dan Balmer at daniel.balmer@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Fire crews respond to the Bruce Fire, July 4, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Alaska Division of Forestry)
Firefighting crews respond to wildfire outside Soldotna

The 8-acre fire and two “spot fires” of less than one acre each are located near Mile 102 and 103 of the Sterling Highway.

Robert Weaver was last seen at the Doroshin Bay public use cabin on June 25, 2025. (Photo provided by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Kenai wildlife refuge seeking information on missing man

Robert Weaver was last seen near Skilak Lake on June 25.

The Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team conducts a training mission in Seward, Alaska in 2024. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team
Anchor Point fundraiser to benefit Alaska rescue and recovery group

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization established in 2016.

Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic staff (left to right) Angie Holland, RN; Jane Rohr, Sonja Martin Young, CNM; Robin Holmes, MD; and Cherie Bole, CMA provide an array of reproductive and sexual health services. (Photo provided by KBFPC)
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic releases report on STI trends on the Kenai Peninsula

The report pulls from data gathered from 2024 to early 2025.

Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Swimmers, parents call on Kenai to support Kenai Central pool

The KPBSD Board of Education last week said communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year.

Traffic passes by South Spruce Street in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai drops effort to rename South Spruce Street

The resolution would have changed the name to make it clear which road led to North Kenai Beach

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress fourth grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy calls special session for August

Lawmakers on Wednesday said they were surprised by the move.

A makeshift coffin decrying the risks of Medicaid funding cuts is seen on Thursday, June 26, in front of the Blazy Mall in Soldotna. The cuts were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning. (Photo by Jonas Oyoumick/Peninsula Clarion)
Ahead of Senate vote, Soldotna protesters defend Medicaid funding

Cuts to the program were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning.

Most Read