On December 1, 2024, 28-year-old Alex Michael Ireland, who also used the names Alex Michael Zamantakis and Aledx Michael Ireland, was aboard the 50-foot fishing vessel F/V Wind Walker when it capsized off Point Couverden, Alaska. A Mayday call around 12:10 a.m. reported the vessel overturning and two people in the water; heavy snow, 60 mph winds and six-foot seas hampered all efforts. The United States Coast Guard activated an extensive search covering more than 108 square nautical miles using an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, a 45-foot response boat and cutters HEALY and DOUGLAS DENMAN. Search teams recovered seven empty survival suits, the vessel’s GPS beacon and strobe lights, but no survivors were found during the nearly 24-hour search, which was later suspended.

On December 9, 2024, two bodies and debris from the Wind Walker were found in Spasski Bay near Hoonah and sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for identification; a renewed shoreline search produced no further recoveries. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the capsizing, which the Coast Guard has classified as a major marine casualty. If anyone has information about Alex Ireland or the Wind Walker incident, please share what is known with the authorities.