A longtime Homer commercial fisherman was found dead early Monday near Anchor Point, about 10 hours after he was reported overdue from a kayak trip.
Mark Robl, chief of the Homer Police Department, said 72-year-old Ken Jones' son called police at about 4 p.m. Sunday to report his father missing. Jones had planned to leave Beluga Slough at about 2 p.m. and kayak along the coast to Mariner Park, a trip Robl estimated at 2 miles and two hours in duration.
"The son said his farther normally took his kayak out through the slough and the Homer Spit and to the ocean to the base of the spit, where he would retrieve the kayak with his truck, which was sort of his normal routine," Robl said. "His family said he did it quite often."
Police alerted Alaska State Troopers and the U.S. Coast Guard, which sent a helicopter to help search for Jones. Officers walked local shorelines, Robl said, but didn't find any sign of him.
"He was located floating outside of his kayak at approximately 2:30 a.m. near the Anchor Point bluff, which is approximately 20 miles from where he would have entered the ocean," Robl said. "His kayak was found nearby."
Jones was wearing a life vest when he was found. Robl said poor weather and high tides were reported in the area overnight Sunday.
"It was windy yesterday," Robl said. "It was really rough."
National Weather Service meteorologist Luis Ingram said Homer saw a wind gust of 31 mph at 10 a.m. Sunday, followed by wind speeds near 20 mph until sunset.
Jones' body was being held at the South Peninsula Hospital in Homer, Robl said, pending a decision by the State Medical Examiner Office whether to order an autopsy.