Coast Guard suspends search for longtime Naukati resident

The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies suspended the search for a boater near Prince of Wales Island Saturday night.

Longtime Naukati resident James Gray, 63, left for an overnight fishing trip last Wednesday (March 2).

“Friends of his talked to him Wednesday evening and he said was going to camp on Camp Island, which is on the north side of Heceta Island,” said Scott Giard, lead command center controller at Sector Juneau.

“They suspected that he was going to be back Thursday at some point and when he didn’t come back Friday morning, the friends went out to look for him, and that’s when they found his vessel on the shore and his dog was still on the vessel,” Giard said.

Gray’s 20-foot fiberglass cuddy cabin boat was found on the north side of Heceta Island. Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers, U.S. Forest Service and Gray’s friends searched all surrounding waterways Friday and Saturday, including Sea Otter Sound, Davidson Inlet, part of El Capital Passage and Warren Channel.

“We don’t know exactly what happened but at some point he probably entered the water in Sea Otter Sound or Davidson Inlet, and his vessel and the effects that were on his vessel washed up on shore,” Giard said.

This was a regular fishing spot of Gray. He was “very familiar with the area, a very experienced fisherman and outdoorsman,” Giard said.

The decision to suspend the search was made in consultation with Gray’s family in Oregon.

More in News

Bob Girt works with the Alaska Youth Stewards on Prince of Wales Island in 2022. (Photo courtesy of Bethany Goodrich / Sustainable Southeast Partnership)
Threads of the Tongass: Building a sustainable future

“These students can look back and say, ‘I helped build that. I was a contributor.’”

KTOO, Juneau's public radio station, is photographed in Juneau, Alaska, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Public radio facing cuts as Congress moves to pull back funding

KTOO could lose one-third of its budget if the House passes a bill cutting funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting

Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo
The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on Monday, April 14.
Ships in port for the week of July 19

This information comes from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska’s 2025 schedule.… Continue reading

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Thursday, July 17, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Ben Hohenstatt | Juneau Empire File)
Hiker rescued from gully at Eaglecrest

The woman got stuck in a gully after taking a wrong turn

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, July 16, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Dimond Courthouse in Juneau, Alaska, is seen in this undated photo. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file)
Juneau man pleads guilty to murder of infant

James White pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder of 5-and-half-week-old Kathy White

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Megan Dean shakes hands with the new Arctic District commander Rear Admiral Bob Little on Friday. Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, commander of the Pacific Area, smiles. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
US Coast Guard receives new commander, new name for Alaska

The Arctic District’s new icebreaker will visit Juneau next month

City and Borough of Juneau City Hall is photographed on July 12, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Juneau Empire file)
Municipal election candidate filing period opens July 18

The filing period runs from July 18 at 8 a.m. to July 28 at 4:30 p.m.

Most Read