An Alaska fishing adventure became a nightmare for a family of eight when disaster struck one of the two boats they chartered over the Memorial Day weekend, leaving three people dead and two more missing despite a desperate search over hundreds of square miles of ocean.
The tragedy tore the Tyau family apart: Two sisters and one of their husbands are dead, while the otherB次元官网网址檚 partner and the boat captain remain missing off southeast Alaska four days after the boat was found partially submerged off an island.
Authorities suspended a more than 20-hour search covering 825 square miles (2,100 square kilometers) on Monday and have no plans to resume it.
The womenB次元官网网址檚 parents, older brother and sister-in-law were on the other charter boat as part of a three-day trip to a destination fishery known for king salmon and groundfish.
The sisters and their sister-in-law didnB次元官网网址檛 like fishing but joined the vacation to spend more time with a family that was usually split between Hawaii and Los Angeles.
B次元官网网址淚t was just supposed to be a simple family get-together for eight of us, since we havenB次元官网网址檛 been together in the same spot for so long,B次元官网网址� Michael Tyau, the older brother, told The Associated Press on Thursday. B次元官网网址淔or it to turn out like this is really devastating.B次元官网网址�
The Tyau siblings B次元官网网址� Michael, Brandi and Danielle B次元官网网址� grew up fishing in Hawaii with their parents. Michael Tyau said his sisters hated being cold and wet but would endure it for their water-loving parents and later their partners.
Brandi TyauB次元官网网址檚 longtime partner, Robert Solis B次元官网网址� a Navy diver-turned-private investigator who was stationed in Hawaii when they met decades ago B次元官网网址� was someone for whom B次元官网网址� ocean really was his life,B次元官网网址� one of SolisB次元官网网址� brothers said.
So when the Tyau siblingsB次元官网网址� mother suggested a family trip last year, a fishing vacation in the Sitka Sound won out.
B次元官网网址淢y sisters, I think, reluctantly agreed,B次元官网网址� Michael Tyau said.
He and his wife flew from Los Angeles to Alaska on Thursday with Brandi Tyau, 56, and Solis, 61. They met up with their parents, sister Danielle Agcaoili, 53, and her husband, 57-year-old Maury Agcaoili, all Hawaii residents.
The whole family stayed in a lodge owned by charter boat company Kingfisher Charters in Sitka. The small port city with a backdrop of a stunning volcanic mountain is located on the shore of Baranof Island, which is part of a cluster of islands dripping off AlaskaB次元官网网址檚 southeast coastline.
The area is a B次元官网网址減remier fishing destinationB次元官网网址� for tourists because the many bays and passageways created by the islands provide protection from the wind and waves on days when the open sea is too rough, Kingfisher Charters says on its website.
Forrest Braden, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Guides Organization, said anglers often stay for multiple days on trips to the region.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 more of a fishing-themed trip for a lot of people, rather than being one of a variety of activities that they do,B次元官网网址� he said.
The boats the Tyau clan chartered, named the Pockets and the Awakin, set out Friday amid rough conditions. Michael Tyau said his sisters and wife spent the dayB次元官网网址檚 voyage seasick in the two boatsB次元官网网址� cabins and skipped SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 trip to recover on land.
When Sunday dawned, their last vacation day before Monday flights home, the women rejoined the boats.
Danielle Agcaoili said B次元官网网址渟he didnB次元官网网址檛 want to let anybody down,B次元官网网址� Michael Tyau recalled through tears.
The boat captains opted for different fishing spots. Aboard the Pockets, Michael Tyau said he B次元官网网址渋n no way felt in jeopardy, like this wasnB次元官网网址檛 safe for us to fish in.B次元官网网址�
The Pockets returned to the lodge Sunday evening, but the family began worrying when Brandi Tyau, Danielle Agcaoili, Maury Agcaoili and Solis didnB次元官网网址檛 respond to text messages and never arrived for dinner.
The Awakin hadnB次元官网网址檛 come back, the charter company told Michael Tyau, and they lost radio contact with the captain, 32-year-old Morgan Robidou.
What happened aboard the Awakin on Sunday remains unclear. Efforts to recover the 30-foot (9-meter) aluminum vessel have been hampered by rough seas and strong winds.
The bodies of Brandi Tyau and Danielle Agcaoili were found inside the cabin. Maury AgcaoiliB次元官网网址檚 body was discovered near the boat. Solis and Robidou were still considered missing Thursday.
The boat was last seen Sunday afternoon near Sitka, authorities said, but around 7 p.m. Sunday was found partially submerged off Low Island, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Sitka.
Coast Guard investigators are working to determine the timeline and cause of the incident. The area was experiencing 6-foot to 11-foot (1.8- to 3.35-meter) waves, a Coast Guard spokesperson said.
Kingfisher Charters declined to respond to questions outside a statement released Wednesday saying the company is B次元官网网址渄evastated by the loss of the guests and captain of the AwakinB次元官网网址� and is fully cooperating with an investigation it hopes B次元官网网址渇urnishes answers to the questions as to how it occurred.B次元官网网址�
For the Tyau family, itB次元官网网址檚 too late. The deaths of Brandi Tyau, the reserved middle child who was a calming influence on Solis, and Danielle Agcaoili, the happy-go-lucky baby of the family who was often called B次元官网网址淒ani,B次元官网网址� has been devastating.
Brandi Tyau and Solis leave behind one son together, as well as SolisB次元官网网址� three sons from a previous relationship. The Agcaoilis have two children, one of whom just graduated from high school.
The familyB次元官网网址檚 vacation was meant for them to enjoy a holiday weekend away and bridge the gap between their homes in Hawaii and Los Angeles.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think all eight of us have been together in over 10 years,B次元官网网址� Michael Tyau said.
Now, only four are left.
Stefanie Dazio And Becky Bohrer, The Associated Press
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