Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Two bystanders watch over a small boat at the Kenai City Dock that capsized Tuesday, July 19, 2016 in Kenai, Alaska. Its four occupants were rescued quickly by other boaters, and others towed the vessel to shore.

Photo by Megan Pacer/Peninsula Clarion Two bystanders watch over a small boat at the Kenai City Dock that capsized Tuesday, July 19, 2016 in Kenai, Alaska. Its four occupants were rescued quickly by other boaters, and others towed the vessel to shore.

4 rescued after boat capsizes

Four people were brought safely to shore after their boat capsized Tuesday near the Kenai City Dock.

The 18-foot low boat took on water after being hit with a wake, said Kenai Fire Battalion Chief Tony Prior. All four people in the boat were wearing life vests, and none of them had to be taken to the hospital or checked on scene, he said.

The accident in the active dipnet area of the Kenai River happened between noon and 1 p.m. during low tide, Prior said.

“The river channels down a lot in that area … and people are still continuing to motor quickly up and down the river,” he said, explaining that it doesn’t take much to capsize a small boat.

The boat’s occupants were quickly rescued by other boaters in the area, Prior said, and others towed the capsized vessel to shore.

Prior said this was a good reminder to dipnetters about the importance of wearing life vests while on the water, even though sometimes “people think they’re cumbersome.”

Soldotna resident Michele Vasquez, who was at the dock around the time the boat capsized, agreed that smaller vessels are more susceptible to wakes and waves, saying it can sometimes be a problem for smaller boats like her own.

“It’s about courtesy I think, because a lot of the smaller boats can’t take the waves from the boats … that are ocean-worthy,” Vasquez said.

Kenai Police also responded to the accident.

 

Reach Megan Pacer at megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com.

Boaters rescue passengers from a capsized boat in the Kenai River Tuesday during the personal-use dipnet fishery. (Photo courtesy Frank Alioto)

Boaters rescue passengers from a capsized boat in the Kenai River Tuesday during the personal-use dipnet fishery. (Photo courtesy Frank Alioto)

More in News

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, a Soldotna Republican who co-chairs the House Education Committee, speaks in favor overriding a veto of Senate Bill 140 during floor debate of a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature on Monday. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
By 1 vote, lawmakers sustain Dunleavy veto of education bill

The bipartisan bill included $680 increase to per-student funding

The Sterling Highway crosses the Kenai River near the Russian River Campground on March 15, 2020, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Russian River Campground closed for construction

The campground is expected to reopen on June 2

A man fishes in the Kenai River on July 16, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion/file)
Fish and Game announces series of closures and restrictions for king salmon fisheries

Cook Inlet king salmon stocks are experiencing a prolonged period of poor productivity, the department said

Montessori materials sit on shelves in a classroom at Soldotna Montessori Charter School on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Education debate draws state attention to peninsula charter schools

Dunleavy would like to see a shift of authority over charter school approvals from local school districts to the state

The Nikiski Senior Center stands under sunlight in Nikiski, Alaska, on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Support available for community caregivers

Nikiski Senior Center hosts relaunched Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program

Flags flank the entrance to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s office on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Dunleavy vetoes bipartisan education bill

Senate Bill 140 passed the House by a vote of 38-2 and the Senate by a vote of 18-1 last month

The Alaska State Capitol on Friday, March 1, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
House passes bill altering wording of sex crimes against children

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer

Ben Meyer and Brandon Drzazgowski present to the Soldotna and Kenai Chambers of Commerce at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Watershed Forum gives update on streambank restoration

The watershed forum and other organizations are working to repair habitat and mitigate erosion

The entrance to the Kenai Police Department, as seen in Kenai, Alaska, on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai resident arrested on charges of arson

Kenai Police and Kenai Fire Department responded to a structure fire near Mountain View Elementary

Most Read