Jake Hannah, 22, called his mother in his hometown of Coos Bay before departing on Saturday night for his commercial fishing excursion.
Carol Hannah told The Oregonian/OregonLive, “Hey mom, we’re getting ready to go out. I love you.” We agreed that you would always give me a call before you left and as soon as you arrived home.
However, she claimed that the second call never arrived. Instead, she found out that four other people were on board her son’s boat, the Wind Walker, when it capsized in the choppy waters off the coast of Sitka, Alaska.
Carol Hannah said, “God, please, no, let these boys be safe.” Jake wasn’t the only member of the staff that frightened me.
The U.S. Coast Guard declared on Monday that it was ending the search for the boat and its five occupants, who have not yet been located.
The Hannah family is trying to engage a marine recovery business to find the boat and the bodies of the fishermen who were on board, according to a GoFundMe fundraising campaign.
Jake Hannah is still encouraging people in his native Oregon to remember who he was before moving to Alaska.
Carol Hannah remarked, “You couldn’t ask for a better friend; he was an all-around awesome guy.” He was the most ideal son a mother could ask for.
According to Carol Hannah, Jake was raised in Coos Bay alongside her elder biological children when she adopted him and his two siblings when he was six years old.
According to her, he developed a love for boats early on and, at the age of seven, constructed an eight-foot boat out of cedar twigs and branches in their backyard. He spent many days and evenings playing in it with his siblings and best friend, Ben Martinez-Yates.
The mother of Ben Martinez-Yates, Tiffany Yates, claimed that although Jake Hannah and her son were mischievous as children, Jake Hannah was devoted to everyone he loved, a quality she claimed he kept throughout his life.
She claimed that Jake was exactly the same adult as he had been as a child. He would go out of his way to help anyone. He would look after you if he knew you.
According to Martinez-Yates, the two enjoyed fishing together as children, frequently going out for eight to twelve hours at a time and coming back with buckets of fish. When Martinez-Yates grew up, he went to pursue commercial fishing in Alaska.
When Jake Hannah wasn’t working on a commercial fishing boat, he liked to fish for recreation.Thanks to Benito Martinez.
Jake Hannah began working as a fishing boat unloader in Coos Bay when he was sixteen years old, and his passion for fishing turned into a career.
He simply fell in love with the fishing industry at that point, according to Carol Hannah. That was the only thing he ever discussed.
According to his mother, Jake Hannah started struggling with a drug addiction when he was a teenager and learned about commercial fishing. She claimed that although he survived it, the struggle forced him to look for methods to get out of the little seaside town and the social circle that was interfering with his ability to maintain sobriety.
In June 2022, he seized the chance when Martinez-Yates texted him from Sitka to inform him of a salmon boat job opening.
Martinez-Yates, 22, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he and Hannah once caught over 9,000 salmon in four days, and that he was one of the hardest working persons he had ever known. When he first started fishing for salmon, it was an instant hit.
Jake Hannah called home almost every day, according to his mother, despite the long hours and hard labor. He also frequently spoke with his daughter, who is almost two years old, and her mother, who currently reside in Texas.
According to Martinez-Yates, the stunning scenery and lucrative prospects in Alaska entice Oregonians to relocate from their hometowns to fish there. Jake Hannah was able to purchase his own boat after just a few years of employment, and he was accumulating money for a fishing license so he could use it for business.
Ben Martinez-Yates, Jake Hannah’s best friend, noted that Hannah loved Alaska’s sunrises and sunsets.Thanks to Benito Martinez.
However, Jake Hannah’s job was hazardous due to the cold waters, erratic weather, and powerful storms. He then took on even more hazardous work as a deep-line fisherman, searching for halibut at depths of about 2,000 feet.
According to Martinez-Yates, Jake Hannah was working on a boat that was engaged in deep-line fishing when it went missing.
Martinez-Yates stated that he tried not to think about anything happening prior to Hannah’s boat sinking, but now that the worst has happened, it hurts to consider going fishing without him.
According to Martinez-Yates, he was like a brother. He liked fishing, so even if I don’t want to go, I know he would want me go, and I wouldn’t want him to stop if it happened to me.
Crime, public safety, and local news are all topics covered by breaking news reporter Tatum Todd. You can contact them at 503-221-4313 or [email protected].
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