Unalaska, AK – An Unalaska man was picked up by local harbor officers Thursday morning after spending the night stranded on an island in Captains Bay.

William Ammons was found in the morning on one of the small islands near the wreck of the Northwestern in the back of the bay, according to Harbormaster John Days. He had spent the night in a cabin after experiencing engine trouble in his skiff and getting caught in bad weather.

Ammons had set out for the far side of the bay to do some fox hunting on Wednesday, and his wife reported him missing when he failed to return that evening. Harbor and public safety personnel searched for Ammons, until conditions made it increasingly futile.

"The weather was deteriorating, and we were wondering if we should go out in the rescue vessel," Days said. "But it was snowing, and the weather was worsening, so we decided to wait until the morning."

At 9 a.m. harbor and public safety officers resumed their search, aided by the helicopter from the Coast Guard cutter Jarvis and Alaska State Troopers. Ammons was found about an hour and a half later when officers in the harbor rescue boat spotted smoke coming from the chimney of the cabin.