Coast Guard says a wave likely overwhelmed charter boat near Sitka last year, killing 5

Morgan Robidou poses pinch nan charter vessel Awakin, successful October 2022. Robidou and his 4 passengers died erstwhile nan vessel sank adjacent Sitka successful May 2023. (Courtesy Facebook)

The U.S. Coast Guard presented its findings past week connected the sinking of a charter vessel adjacent Sitka that killed 5 group past year, saying nan vessel apt capsized aft it was deed by a wave.

The Awakin was a very emblematic charter vessel for Sitka: 31 feet long, aluminum hull, copy 250-horsepower outboards, 8 years old, and afloat equipped pinch radar, radios, and different electronics for nan benignant of time sportfishing it was designed to do.

This type of vessel is communal successful Alaska’s charter industry. Called a “well deck,” it has a large cardinal cabin, and gangly sides that let passengers to safely locomotion each astir nan perimeter of nan vessel erstwhile fishing.

While nan good platform makes for awesome fishing, it proved to beryllium a conspicuous liability successful nan calamity that struck nan Awakin connected May 28, 2023,  astatine precisely 2:43 p.m.

“We determined, based connected each nan grounds earlier america and an analysis, that nan initiating arena of nan Awakin’s casualty was a abrupt flooding of Awakin’s  good platform by a ample swell,” said Cmdr. Nate Menefee, who led nan Coast Guard’s investigative team.

He told Thursday’s standing-room-only crowd successful Harrigan Centennial Hall that nan Coast Guard’s forensics laboratory was capable to retrieve nan information from nan laptop connected committee nan Awakin utilized for navigation.

Investigators could find position, speed, and extent of nan h2o nether nan Awakin from nan infinitesimal it departed Sitka’s Crescent Harbor astatine 6 a.m. until nan infinitesimal it stopped signaling astatine 2:43 p.m., erstwhile nan Awakin was connected a slow drift southbound of Low Island, its passengers jigging for rockfish astatine nan extremity of a agelong time of trolling for salmon and halibut fishing.

The Coast Guard Investigative Team began its Casualty Report pinch a intense nickname of those who mislaid their lives successful nan incident connected May 28, 2023: alloy maestro Morgan Robidou, 32; Brandi Tyau, 56, and her partner Robert Solis, 61, of Canoga Park, California; and Danielle Agcaoili, 53, and her hubby Maury Agcaolli, 57, of Waipahu, Hawaii.

On a bully day, nan statement of Low Island tin beryllium treacherous. The bottommost is irregular – formed by lava from nan Mount Edgecumbe volcano thousands of years agone – and water swells tin abruptly heave and break, particularly astatine debased tide.

Menefee said nan Awakin, its skipper engaged assisting clients, was apt taken by astonishment by a breaking swell that first flooded nan boat, and past rolled it.

“The nonaccomplishment of alloy power whitethorn person prevented nan maestro from making a power distress call,” he said. “The nonaccomplishment of power could person been owed to electrical aliases mechanical issues, aliases nan chaotic business that would apt ensue pursuing nan swamping of nan vessel’s good deck.”

Robidou, nan Awakin’s proprietor and captain, was young and successful his first play operating a charter boat, but he knew his business. He grew up successful Sitka and had logged complete 800 work days connected nan water toward earning his 50-ton master’s license. Also, he had taken this aforesaid way 19 times successful conscionable nan erstwhile 5 days.

Safety aboard a charter vessel – officially called an uninspected rider vessel, and unofficially known arsenic a six-pack – is heavy limited connected nan master. The Awakin was well-equipped pinch information gear, including 2 “digital selective calling” radios that would person sent an SOS and nan boat’s position, if only personification had known to push nan button.

The DSC system, called nan “Alaska 21 Rescue System,” is comparatively caller and has “reliability issues. On May 28, 2023, location was nary DSC sum successful Sitka Sound from a Coast Guard statement station, though a connection could person been relayed – had 1 been sent.

Unfortunately, Robidou himself was apt among nan first 2 group swept overboard.

“it’s very probable that anybody opinionated connected nan backmost of nan good platform whitethorn person gone overboard including nan master,” said Menefee.

With nary skipper and nary different boats nearby, nan remaining passengers connected nan Awakin were successful dire straits. Uninspected rider vessels successful nan U.S. are not required to transportation a life raft aliases an emergency position-indicating power beacon. The beacon, besides known arsenic an EPIRB, is simply a instrumentality which automatically releases from a submerged vessel and sends an emergency signal.

The investigators said a well-deck hull lacks capable drainage if a batch of h2o abruptly floods complete its gangly bulwarks. Once swamped, it did not return overmuch for nan vessel to rotation and capsize. In possibly nan astir tragic item of nan investigation, a rider remained live successful nan submerged compartment of nan Awakin for astatine slightest half an hr and sent respective texts asking nan recipient to telephone 911. Then nan person, referred to arsenic Passenger One successful nan report, tried calling Sitka constabulary dispatchers.

“There were 5 outgoing calls to 911 connected Passenger One’s telephone made betwixt 15:01 and 15:12,” a narrator said during a descent presentation. “Data showed each 5 attempts to telephone 911 arsenic not answered.”

Sitka constabulary dispatch records show nary calls were received during that time. Although location is spotty compartment work successful Sitka Sound, investigators judge that it was intolerable for Passenger One to get a awesome while trapped successful a submerged aluminum boat.

The investigative squad examined respective different factors that it concluded played nary domiciled successful nan nonaccomplishment of nan Awakin aliases its passengers:

— Although 1 afloat and 1 partially-full vessel of rum were recovered connected board, Morgan Robidou’s humor intoxicant level was accordant pinch nan earthy post-mortem process betwixt his decease connected May 28 and his autopsy connected June 9, and not from depletion of alcohol. Charter guests often gave Robidou bottles of “Captain Morgan”-brand rum arsenic gifts.

— Awakin’s anchor was recovered fouled connected nan bottommost adjacent Low island, but investigators concluded that it slipped from nan front roller aft nan vessel capsized.

— Flare sightings reported successful Sitka Sound during nan hunt were not related to nan incident. The Awakin’s flare kit was recovered intact and unopened.

— Although winds were expected to summation offshore to small-craft level later successful nan day of May 28, they were not yet precocious astatine nan clip of nan incident. The Awakin was nether power until nan infinitesimal it was lost.

— Discrepancies astatine Low Island betwixt raster charts and nan Time Zero vector charts successful usage connected nan Awakin’s navigation laptop (although nan Team notified Time Zero of this issue).

The Awakin was owed backmost successful larboard astatine 4 p.m. connected May 28. When it grounded to arrive, chap charter operators began calling nan Awakin connected VHF radio. Others began looking, and astatine slightest 1 vessel went each nan measurement retired to Cape Edgecumbe pursuing nan Awakin’s accustomed route. It wasn’t until almost 5:30 p.m. that nan proprietor of Kingfisher Lodge notified nan Coast Guard of an overdue vessel.

Typically, erstwhile nan Coast Guard decides to initiate a search, a chopper tin beryllium airborne successful a half-hour. On May 28, a half-fueled chopper was fresh astatine Air Station Sitka, but nan pilot, expecting a agelong hunt flight, ordered a afloat tank. The pit unit encountered immoderate problems, however, and it was 58 minutes earlier nan chopper took off.

Air Station Sitka commandant Capt. Vincent Jansen supported his pilot’s decision, though looking backmost it was clear that nan fueling issues weighed heavy connected him.

“I’ve been flying for 20 years, nan substance tanks and nan substance pit we person correct present successful Sitka is nan champion I’ve ever seen,” said Jansen. “And it’s besides nan astir well-maintained. We had 2 malfunctions that time pinch that fueling system. It’s Murphy’s Law. Everything other was by nan book but it couldn’t hap astatine a worst time. And I ain that.” 

The 58-minute hold apt didn’t matter. By nan clip nan Coast Guard was notified that nan Awakin was overdue, nan 5 group aboard had been successful nan h2o 2 and a half hours without flotation devices, aliases trapped successful nan sunken vessel’s cabin, and almost surely nary longer alive.

The investigators made a fistful of recommendations to Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan to forestall akin tragedies, including requiring uninspected rider vessels to transportation life rafts and EPIRBs – overmuch for illustration nan commercialized sportfishing fleet – and to person importantly much drainage connected deck. It’s not clear whether thing will change, however.

“We’ve made these recommendations before,” Menefee said, referring to nan life rafts and EPIRBs.