NEAH BAY — Two Makah fishing boats were struggling to return to port late Thursday after severe weather west of Cape Alava blew out their windows and flooded their holds.
The 43-foot Last Watch and the 39-foot Pacific Stalker were still making their way back to Neah Bay as of 9 p.m., U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
The names of the trawlers’ crewmen were not immediately available.
The Pacific Stalker, reportedly owned by Makah Tribal Chairman Gordon Smith, was being towed by the Ketchikan, Alaska-based Coast Guard cutter Acushnet.
The Last Watch was under its own power.
A third tribal trawler — the 36-foot Maiya Ann — damaged by wind and waves Wednesday reached port at about 11:57 a.m. Thursday, the Coast Guard reported.
The Maiya Ann’s crew of three was uninjured, said Chief Warrant Officer Michael Tumulty, commander of Coast Guard Station Neah Bay.
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