Sitka, Alaska
According to NOAA, coastal water temperatures in Sitka, Alaska, this week measure 51.8 degrees. That’s the chilly brine in which Ryan Harris and Stonie “Mac” Huffman found themselves Friday after their 28-foot aluminum boat overturned. The Seattle Times reports that Harris climbed into a 4-by-4 foot plastic bin and drifted away from the wreckage while Huffman found a floating survival suit.
The two men had been fishing for coho (silver) salmon, a common September catch off Sitka. Huffman washed ashore in his suit after about 22 hours in the water. Harris was hoisted from his plastic boat by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter two hours later.
