The islands and coastline of southeastern Alaska offer glaciers, mountains, whales and wildlife, but they also offer conditions that can test a captain and crew. Recently, one crew came through a tsunami – and then stuck around for people in trouble.
On August 10, Blackwood was anchored in No Name Bay in southeast Alaska. The 103-foot Broward motor yacht anchored near the entrance to Endicott Arm, a fjord that’s popular with yachts and cruise ships thanks in large part to the impressive Dawes Glacier. The day was quiet, until it wasn’t.
At around 6am, Captain Edin Mujanovic noticed strange water movement; the current built to about 10 knots, water funneled out of the bay to the south and large logs and other debris began sweeping past the vessel. Moments later, he opened the aft door and saw a large wave approaching from the south. A surge wave struck the tender’s stern soon after.
Captain Edin maneuvered Blackwood clear while mate Jonathan Landa launched the tender to standby. They had just left the anchorage when a PAN-PAN call came in. Kayakers had been camping on a nearby island and were now stranded.
Jonathan went alone to make contact with the kayakers, then returned to Blackwood where Chef Stephanie Johnson joined him. While the pair returned to the island to retrieve the kayakers, stew Erica Medhurst prepared warm clothing and hot drinks.
“In six- to eight-knot surge current, floating debris and a rocky shoreline, we executed five short beach landings — never more than 30 seconds each — to evacuate three survivors, recover approximately 200 pounds of soaked gear and tow two kayaks,” Jonathan says. “Both tender engines stalled during the operation but were restarted quickly, and all survivors were cold but unharmed.
“Since I was the one who responded to the PAN-PAN, I remember telling myself, ‘Okay, I knew at some point in my career I’d be called on to help someone out of a tight spot. I guess that time is now.’ I was tremendously stressed throughout the experience, but I was able to stay calm and do what needed to be done. It was good to learn about myself that, in an emergency situation, I am able to keep cool.”
Later, they would find out what had happened. According to a report from the University of Alaska Fairbanks’s Alaska Earthquake Center, a landslide triggered a tsunami. One of the kayakers, Nick Heilgeist, said they were camped well above the expected 17-foot high tide, so the wave likely came about 20 vertical feet. Scientists believe the event could be Alaska’s largest landslide and tsunami in a decade.
Blackwood took the kayakers to Juneau. When it was all over, they had a chance to reflect on an unexpected day.
“None of us had encountered anything of this nature before,” Jonathan says. “We weren’t exactly sure what had happened until later that day, and we also didn’t know if another wave was coming.
“As for training and drills, it’s difficult to prepare specifically for rescuing people in unpredictable conditions outside of specialized training like the Coast Guard receives. For me, the biggest asset was simply having a lot of drive time on different tenders in varying conditions. That experience made it possible to manage the boat in those currents and waves.”
For Jonathan, the day’s biggest lesson was on what it means to have a good team.
“Everyone had a role — Edin on the mothership, me on the tender, Stephanie on the beach and Erica caring for the survivors once they were back on board — and it only worked because we trusted each other,” he says. “I also learned how critical it is to respect the power of current and tide. On paper, it was just a beach landing, but with six to eight knots of flow across the bow, it became a precision operation where hesitation could have meant losing the boat and putting Stephanie and me in the same situation the kayakers were in.”