Anchorage Daily News

JUNEAU -- Despite uncontrollable shivering and swarming mosquitoes, former state legislator Bruce Weyhrauch says he never thought about the possibility of dying during the 17 hours he spent wet, cold and missing after falling off his boat and swimming to a nearby island in the icy waters of Auke Bay.

Weyhrauch said that keeping warm was his first priority. But thoughts about his tight-knit family and the belief that someone was watching over him kept him going, he said in a telephone interview Tuesday from his home.

Weyhrauch, 54, is recovering from hypothermia. He fell into the 43-degree waters of the bay, about 15 miles north of Juneau, Sunday evening after slipping and losing his balance while alone on his boat.

He recalled he swam for about an hour before reaching Coghlan Island, where he spent the night fighting off biting mosquitoes and cold.

His family reported the former member of the Alaska House and practicing Juneau attorney missing Sunday night, after the Coast Guard found his Boston Whaler abandoned but with its engine still running. A long search began, and Weyhrauch was located on the sandy shore of the island Monday morning at about 11 a.m.

"I didn't want to anticipate rescue," he said. "There's no manual for how to do this. I just had to maintain being calm, look at options, and then make the decision and do it."

Weyhrauch said he set out swimming for Coghlan Island after realizing his boat was moving too fast to catch. He swam with his back away from the island to keep the cold water from rushing into his body's core. He kept his arms as close to his side as possible, he said, in order to try to retain body heat. The position caused him to swim like the cartoon character Nemo, he said.

His feet and legs cramped early on in the swim, while his arms weakened to the point of uselessness. When he finally made it to the shore, he had no energy left and let a wave give him the final push to land.

After resting on the sandy beach for some time, Weyhrauch, said he stumbled into the woods.

HOME IN SIGHT

Across the bay, Weyhrauch could see his family's house and the regional ferry terminal.

Curled up in the fetal position in wet leaves, he spent most of the night shaking from the cold and enduring mosquitoes.

In the morning, he recovered the strength to move back to the beach. He said he believes he saw at least one boat pass by the island. He waved and the passengers waved back but must have been unaware of the search efforts, he said.

He then spotted rescuers from the Southeast Alaska Dogs Organized for Ground Search, a volunteer search and rescue group based in Juneau who were searching the island.

The Coast Guard airlifted Weyhrauch to Bartlett Regional Hospital. Doctors released him late Monday afternoon.

Weyhrauch said Tuesday he felt like he had been "kicked by a million crickets" and had pain in his jaw and teeth from chattering.

When asked how his family was handling the ordeal, he said they must be relieved to have him home again.

"The dishes were starting to stack up," he joked. Weyhrauch lives with his wife and three children.

Weyhrauch was wearing a float coat when he fell overboard. He said while knowledge and experience around Southeast waters is essential, boaters should think about carrying a communication device such as a cell phone in a plastic bag when on the water.

His life-threatening ordeal won't stop him from boating in the future.

"This is Alaska," he said. "What am I going to do, ignore the fact that the waters are cold?"

Daily News reporter Sabra Ayres can be reached at sayres@adn.com.

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