Life can be short up here. Especially when someone
goes down or falls out of a boat. There’s not many
people to see something happen, and the water is so
cold you don’t have much of a chance.
An eagle scout, scoutmaster, (and my lawyer) dropped
his kid off last night from their skiff on their
beach, and then he headed back to the boat launch to
take his boat out. That was at 5 pm last night, and
the last time anyone saw him. His skiff was found at
6:30 pm, out in the bay, with the motor still running.
Front page on the news paper today
w(www.juneauempire.com).
The whole town was in shock. In a town not
particularly interested in their commercial fishing
industry, he was one of the leading lawyers and
supporters for the industry in Juneau and the region.
No one expected a good outcome. I even went out to
the harbor where he was supposed to trailer his boat
to see if there was anything I could do. I watched as
the Coast Guard boats searched the area till about 11
am.
I had a load of frozen salmon in my truck to take to
another processor. Just as I was about to pass the
office of a mutual friend of myself and the missing
man, the news came over the radio – Bruce Weyhrach was
found alive. He’d swam to an island and collapsed. A
local dog search and rescue team found him,
hypothermic but alive. He’s gonna make it. I was
more shocked when he was found alive than when I saw
he was missing. A freakin’ miracle.
–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com