March 26, 2026, by the Seward Folly Staff

The weather finally gave Seward a break this Sunday, so naturally, it was the perfect day for a little chaos on the waterfront.

Jonathon Janis, owner of the aluminum flat-bottom sport-fishing boat Sound Decision, took advantage of the calm to head out with three passengers. Unfortunately, the Sound Decision decided otherwise. The large outboard lost power, the backup apparently wouldn’t start, and the boat drifted into the beach at Marathon Campground, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

Photo by Seward Folly, March 22, 2026

Janis and his passengers hopped out and left the boat on the gravel. Meanwhile, Police Chief Tiner found his private phone line filling with reports of the rogue vessel. The on-duty officer arrived to find the boat deserted but perfectly safe. Attempts to identify the vessel hit a dead end: The AK number led nowhere, and the Harbormaster did not have the Sound Decision registered.

Because no small-town spectacle is complete without a subplot, a red truck soon appeared and managed to get itself high-centered on a large rock near the scene. This had nothing to do with Janis, the boat, or anything else, but it did add a certain flair. The officer tracked down the truck’s owner, who promised to retrieve it. As of Monday afternoon, the truck was still enjoying its new perch.

Photo by George Peck, March 22, 2026

By 2:00 p.m., Janis and crew returned, fixed the boat’s power problem, and, riding the afternoon’s high tide, powered off the beach with no injuries, no damage, and a good story for next weekend. Turns out, even on a quiet day, Seward’s waterfront can still put on a show.