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Searchers on the F/V Aleutian Dream responded Friday to the boat's last location off Point Gardner, but found only the Slayer's inflatable skiff, a survival suit and a life ring, Reichenbach said.

Jennifer Nebert said she tried to charter a plane to search for her husband Friday, but the winds were too high. She said she planned to try again Saturday to fly over the area, and would bring the children with her in the search. She could not be reached Saturday evening.

The Coast Guard cutter Anacapa from Petersburg and two helicopters repeatedly searched three zones near Point Gardner, Reichenbach said. Two Civil Air Patrol airplanes assisted and the Sitka Mountain Rescue Team conducted shore searches.

Petty Officer Sara Francis said two helicopters are rotating shifts and searched during the night using forward-looking infrared radar and night-vision goggles. She said the search would resume at first light today.

Jennifer Nebert said she has asked everyone she knows to pray for her husband's return.

"I just need all the positive force I can possibly have," she said. "We have two little kids that he needs to come home to."

Nebert said her husband was longlining for cod alongside his best friend's boat near Kake on Thursday night when he decided to head for Sitka to unload his catch. She said the friend, whom she declined to name, told her Friday that the Slayer had been fully loaded.

Rick Nebert has fished Alaska waters for more than 20 years and has gillnetted in Southeast Alaska for the past 10, according to his wife. The Neberts have lived in Juneau for eight years. Their children, 6-year-old Derick and 5-year-old Ericka, both have names containing their father's first name, Jennifer Nebert said.

Point Gardner is where Chatham Strait meets Frederick Sound, about 30 miles south of Angoon. Reichenbach said north winds of 40 knots whipped past the point Friday. "It's like a funnel that comes down Chatham," he said.

Jennifer Nebert said her husband's boat was equipped with three survival suits. She said he had never lost a boat before, and she remained hopeful.

"He's a tough man," she said.