Coast Guard Brings the Karolee to Humboldt Bay After Her Captain Disappears at Sea
The Karolee at rest after long lone travels at Woodley Island. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]
This evening, the fishing vessel Karolee bobs softly in the wake of other ships as she sits at Woodley Island Marina in Humboldt Bay, a reminder of a respected fisherman lost at sea this week.
A sticker on the Karolee urges saving the Klamath Salmon. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]
The boat belonged to Joel Kawahara, a member of the salmon fleet and a friend to many along the West Coast. Kawahara was fishing alone off the northern Washington coast when he is believed to have fallen overboard. His last known communication was around 7:30 a.m. on Friday, August 8.
With no one aboard, the Karolee continued south on a steady heading, traveling hundreds of miles over several days. Its automatic identification system (AIS) showed the vessel maintained a constant four-knot course, carrying it farther and farther offshore until the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted it roughly 60 miles southwest of Eureka.
![AIS track shows Karolee’s unattended course southward for several days before interception. [Image from the Coast Guard]](https://kymkemp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/532253699_1208730941281954_7778895078160552197_n.jpg)
AIS track shows Karolee’s unattended course southward for several days before interception. [Image from the Coast Guard]
Coast Guard crews boarded the vessel on Tuesday but found no sign of its captain. The boat was then taken under tow and brought into Humboldt Bay, where it was secured at Woodley Island.
![The fishing vessel Karolee tied up alongside a Coast Guard cutter after being towed into Humboldt Bay. [Image from the Coast Guard]](https://kymkemp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/533250667_1208731041281944_7516746665391411842_n.jpg)
The fishing vessel Karolee tied up alongside a Coast Guard cutter after being towed into Humboldt Bay. [Image from the Coast Guard]
Search efforts stretched across 2,100 square miles as helicopters, planes, and vessels from California, Oregon, and Washington scoured the waters looking for the missing man before the Coast Guard suspended the operation.
“Suspending a search for someone is the toughest decision we make in the Coast Guard,” said Cmdr. Chelsey Stroud, search and rescue mission coordinator for the Coast Guard’s Northwest District. “Our crews diligently search hundreds of miles. We are grateful for the numerous Coast Guard crews along the West Coast who assisted in this search. We send our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of the missing man.”
Tattered cloth hangs from a rail and a life preserver sits untouched aboard the Karolee. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]
Friends shared that without an inventory of safety equipment, it remains unclear whether Kawahara was wearing a life vest when he went overboard. A longtime fisherman friend told us, “For fishermen who fish alone, this is all of our worst nightmare, falling off the moving boat and being unable to catch it so just watching it troll or drift away.”
The Karolee at Woodley Island. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]
Kawahara’s final text message, sent as he headed out to sea, painted a picture of the life he lived and loved: “It is a little foggy as I head out this morning. There was a group of murres fishing ahead of me and all of a sudden this whale comes up and boils the water less than 50 yards ahead of me. I slowed down and turned but boy it was kind of close… .”
Now, Kawahara’s vessel sits in Humboldt Bay—cloth fluttering from the rail, windows staring blankly out to sea. His memorial page is vibrant though with words and photos of a life well-lived.
The fisherman statue on Woodley Island. [Photo by Ryan Hutson]
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
Well that’s sad 🙁
If i could choose the situation of my death i would be hard pressed to find a better one this man while we are not certain of how it went down we know from his final text message that at least on his final day he was able to do something that calmed his soul that he took pride in and that he enjoyed . He must have been in a very pleasant frame of mind to be able to notice the beauty around him in the Erie quietness he found himself in that morning , some men fear the fog others are at home in it , it is something very special about it when you find yourself in a bubble of clearness with just the sound of your boat the water and the creatures of the sea perhaps he heard a few gulls that morning as well as the salty sea baited his lips with is briny kiss
I wish that were true. He was a friend. But the truth is, he probably watched his boat troll away while he waited in the cold water for unlikely rescue or his last moment to come, likely within a couple of hours of having fallen in. Condolences to all his friends and family.
Sorry for your loss , sometimes it is better to not think of how the sausage is made but to see the dream in the heart to bring comfort.
There more than a few folks up in Newport and north that are grieving. Watching the AIS track was hard.
That boat is sweet. So well cared for.
Deep peace of the running wave, Joel.
Sounds like a life well lived,
R.I.P.
I am so sorry. This is so sad. My condolences to his family and his friends.
Rest in peace fellow fisherman he looked like a very happy Beautiful person I’m so sorry to the family for their loss I hope when I do go it’s doing something that I love
“I must go down to sea again,
to the lonely sea and the sky.
And all I ask is a tall ship,
and a star to steer her by.”
SEA FEVER by John Masefield (First Stanza)
Rest In Peace. Oh brave fisher.
Last stanza
“And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.”
https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/sea-fever
RIP Sailor. My condolences to the friends and family.
Very sad. Astounding to me that anyone would ocean fish alone.
There can be great joy in the solitude when engaging in a beloved activity. Even if it is a risk.
https://everloved.com/life-of/joel-kawahara/
Amen Yabut and a very beautiful picture. Thank you for posting.
Being alone is what we do. Perfectly normal.
This is actually not about you.
You just made it all about them.
Kym…
I am so very sorry to read that the captain of the Karolee must have fallen overboard and drown. There does not seem to be any other reason for him to disappear. I pray that he is in a better place now and can RIP. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. A big heart felt thank you to the men and women of our Coast Guard that searched over 2,100 square miles with no luck. They always do their very best to find someone before it finally just has to stop.
Why would anyone downvote this comment? The post is respectful.
How sad.thats why they say never go out on the ocean alone
blob:https://kymkemp.com/6ebc597f-8097-466d-ad1f-e7282e17d0b9
photo by D.5Thomas
photo by D Thomas. We stood watch as the Karolee entered the bay until docked at the Marina.
Thank you.
The Karolee was a beautiful classic boat. I would think it was built in the 1950’60’s. This boat was well taken care of. Probably was a part of a very vibrant fishing era many years ago. But like the plight of the huge Redwoods that stood for centuries were and cut down at record rates and in short order the species of many commercial fish were overfished. And the 200 plus commercial fishing boats industry was soon gone. I have seen lots of photos of majestic Redwood trees being cut down. The butts of the trees were twenty feet across. Today there are probably less than ten of these huge trees left standing.
My own experience was living in King Salmon, Alaska for several years. I was there during fishing seasons. There were a number of very large boats from Seattle, Oregon, San Francisco, and even San Diego, that were interested in netting fish for profit. There were also a large number of Native Alaskans that attempted to make money by fishing using shorter gill nets. But because of the crazy pace of fishing a number of local Natives drowned. Their families were devastated to lose their fathers, sons or uncles from close extended families. I think they respected the fish they netted, but the big commercial boats were there to catch as much as possible and a philosophy of “get the hell out of my way or I’ll run you over”. And isn’t that the Corporation method they use to make as much money as possible. Reduce your competitors to make more money. Today the seasons is closely controlled by the State Fish and Game Department. But they started after the number of fish had become reduced to non sustaining levels.
What a beauty. Is she docked at Woodley Island?
She’s sadly moored at Woodley Island, furthest westward dock.
The photo (08/18/25) shows a bouquet of wilted flowers partially covering the boat’s name. The fisherman who directed me to the Karolee was, understandably, visibly shaken by this tragedy.
My deepest condolences to Kawahara’s family and friends.
I will give an extra nod of respect to every Seagull I see, sailors lost at sea, some I’ve known, most I have not, and even some of blood but before my time.
Rest in Peace.