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The search resumed on Monday for two adults and two children who called for help on their sinking sailboat about 65 miles off Monterey on Sunday.
A Coast Guard helicopter took off about 6:45 a.m. to look again for the four, including two children under 8, who reported their sailboat was sinking about 4:20 p.m. Sunday, according to Coast Guard Lt. Heather Lampert. She added that the boaters said their 29-foot sailboat was taking on water and their electronics were failing, and their boat may be called the Charmblow.
The four were originally thought to have gone missing off Half Moon Bay and are believed to be traveling south based on the flow of the current, Coast Guard officials said.
An hour later, the group reported that they were abandoning their boat. They didn't have life rafts so they were trying to make one out of a cooler and life preserver ring, Lampert said. It's unknown if they had life jackets.
The Coast Guard then lost radio contact with the group.
The National Weather Service had issued an advisory throughout the weekend warning boaters of strong winds and rough seas around the Bay Area.
Mariners "operating smaller vessels should avoid navigating in these conditions," the advisory said.
A search overnight, which included crews from the California Air National Guard, and Coast Guardsmen aboard a 210-foot cutter, yielded no results.
The Coast Guard is asking anyone with any information regarding the incident to notify the Coast Guard immediately at 415-399-3547.
NBC Bay Area's Bob Redell contributed to this report.
This story was originally published on Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:12 AM EST
Leave a Comment:
I hate to hear stories like this, especially because so often people don't wear life jackets or have any special preparations.So, I really hope these adults have made plans and everything turns out alright. Otherwise, this could turn out to be such a terrible tragedy that could have been prevented.
GM Windancer
After the initial radio contact that they were taking on water, I would hope the Captain would have ensured all life jackets were deployed (even though they should have been worned once the passengers and crew stepped off the dock!). The:
They had better of had them on at that time. However, the SF area waters are cold, especially this time of year. It does not say anything about a lifeboat and that is scary.
GM guys...
I agree. I really hope they are found and quickly. Lets hope that this story is true and not some made up story for the father (or whomever) to do a murder suicide. We'll see the updates...
So much could be speculated as people so often do when they do not know the entire story. This is apparently still a developing story. Until the Coast Guard is able to get to the distressed boat and find the people there is no way this story will be completed without the survival of one or all of the passengers.
At this point, all we can do is offer up our prayers for their safe return to land.
GM Creekdog...
My first thought was murder/suicide. Seems to be the going thing nowdays.
Wow! People are doing whatever it takes to flee the rapidly collapsing & over taxed Nanny State of Libbyland!
Cowtown, CreekDog, yes, that was my first thought too.
It's sad that in todays world the first thing we consider is murder/suicide.
@Lee---- Could you expand on that comment?
Did they find their sailboat still afloat? A lot of people abandon their boat too quickly - it can be a fatal mistake. I hope they are found alive...
Hope they are all found to be safe and sound
but like Creekdog - I couldnt help but wonder too.
im just too cynical to assume anything different, hope im wrong.
This story sounds like a weekend sailor who didn't prepare for the worse case scenario, no lifeboat or raft, no survival gear, no food or water. That seawater is very cold! There is always the chance the fickle finger of fate will intervene when you sail into the blue.
Unfortunately, they would need to have been in survival suits to survive. I don't know that they weren't, but chances are they didn't have them on board such a small recreational vessel. I hope this ends up being a hoax call, we got plenty of those and they're very frustrating, but it would be a better outcome than this will be if it was a real call.
Nothing like people who choose to ignore official warnings, whether it's strong winds and rough seas in the Pacific Ocean off of California or hurricanes approaching New Orleans or the Jersey Coast. What makes it even more tragic is that the adults choose to risk the lives of children who can not make decisions on their own.
Lisa Fernandez - if you want to play Lois Lane and be a reporter, learn how to use correct English. "Gone missing" is incorrect. Are you unable to think for yourself and repeat poor grammar just because every other idiot decides to write/speak that way? Given the level of illiteracy in this country, the media have an obligation to the public to set a good example of how to use correct English.
From grammar girl regarding gone missing.
My gratitude to the Coast Guard and others who are making and have made the search.
My condolences to the surviving family members.
It's normal for men to make mistakes ... but not this type of mistake while involving small children!
The sea can be harsh & cruel and deserves the utmost respect!!!!!!
No sailor that has a clue about the harsh realities of the open ocean goes more than a couple of miles offshore without survival gear and a life raft, especially with two kids under 8 on board. I sincerely hope this turns out to be a hoax.
Something stinks here.
The operator (who is/was this person?) radioed in an SOS to the US Coast guard, the boat was 69 miles from San Francisco.
Where is the Coast guard located in that neck of the woods? I assume since they were quite close to land that the coast guard could get someone out to help them quite quickly but was all this really happening as the so called operator says it was or was something else happening?
Murder of a whole family? 2 children, 2 adults, who were the people and are they related to each other? Were there PFD's for all persons on board and what happened to the operator if the boat didn't sink plus why did they stay behind in the first place? Did this operator toss the people overboard way before they called for help?
So many questions here but no real way to know what happened or is happening.
Good luck to all in the life boat is about all I can say as this whole thing still stinks.
If this turns out to be a murder or something like that I hope someone survives to tell the real story.
You can't rule out prank distress calls either. It would be interesting to know if the CG was able to get an RDF triangulation on their transmission. The article doesn't mention a relay of the transmission, but 65 miles to a shore station with a standard low-power marine FM radio seems like a bit of a stretch, not to mention their last call an hour after saying they're losing their electronics. I'm also wondering if an EPIRB signal was received?
There is so much boat traffic in that area that I'm sure their distress call was passed on to CG
.
The SF Coast Guard Station was just inside the GG Bridge near Fort Point where Jimmy Stewart (Scottie) pulled Kim Novak (Madeliene) out of the Bay in "Vertigo". But a few years back it was moved just across the Bay to Marin County between Saucelito and the Bridge.
The Coast Guard regularly operates out to 200 mile of the U.S. Territory.
Lots of missing information but there are many times when people are overconfident about their boating skills even in moderate weather conditions.
A 29 foot vessel not properly equipped with the required equipment and people that shouldn't be out that far is just a disaster waiting to happen.
Kudos to you, Tom. I would like to know more about the circumstances. No life preservers and had to attempt to make a raft? This leads me to believe the boat was ill-equipped before even leaving the dock. That's not even mentioning the weather reports that either were not looked at or completely ignored. There is definitely information missing here.
A 29 foot sailboat is barely a boat, and in my opinion should never be further than swimmable distance from shore. I do hope they are safe and found soon.
Rick, you know nothing about sailboats. Hundreds of sailboats smaller than 29 feet cross oceans every year and many circumnavigate.
There's a member of my Yahoo group for Columbia sailboats who left Marina Del Ray last year for New Zealand in a C24 MK I. 29 feet is not incapable of long voyages as long as it's properly prepared and sailed by skilled crew. Of course many 29 footers are not ready for the ocean and are mainly used on inland lakes.
Sad story no doubt... hope all turns out well.
Seriously Rick? A 29' sailboat in good condition is plenty of boat for offshore sailing. Hell, I've done crossings in much less boat than that.
A sailboat.....taking on water,,,,ran aground ...hit something.....two small kids on board.....hope the CG finds them.....
Ran aground?! 65 miles out to sea?! Really!?
There are alot of seaworthy 29 ft boats. Robin Lee Graham boat was only 24 ft he sail it around the world.
I can't imagine what would cause a 29 foot sailboat to compleatly sink and require abandenment without serious hull damage. Even a blown seacock could be controlled until help arrived. Most saliors abandon thier crafts much too earily and they don't go under. A partial floating hull is much more easily seen from above then bodies.
John,
With the tsunami in Japan & the Hurricanes we've been experiencing, it would probably be safe to say that they may have hit debris such as a dislodged pier or something.
Many people believe that a sinking boat will suck them under as it goes below the water, and feel they should get away from it quickly. While this could happen with a large cruise ship or tanker, it isn't really a danger with small boats such as this one.
Another San Francisco liberal depending on the boat manufacturer, the Coast Guard and the tax payers to do his thinking for him and keep him safe from himself...
I was married to a nut job sailor who kept insisting that we sell our home and live on a sailboat when our children were little. I said NO, and of course we are now divorced. How selfish of those parents to put their children's lives in danger like that. Like my children, they probably had no say in whether or not they wanted to be on a sailboat. Open water and the forces of mother nature on a sailboat are a dangerous combination. I am glad I put a stop to the madness. I hope for the children's sake they are found safe and sound.
LOL Carolyn, and to finish the story....it goes "and he lived happily ever after." :-)
Yes, for pete's sake we wouldn't want children to be subjected to adventure simply because they might get hurt. The only way to raise kids is in a plastic bubble sitting in front of the TV so they can learn to be good capitalists without being subjected to anything interesting our out of the ordinary. Forcing them to live a life less ordinary might have lead them to choose career paths that they enjoyed like Archeology or Wild life photographer rather than something lucrative like tele-evangelist or bankster like the other suburbanite children who spent their youth torturing defenseless animals and sniffing glue for excitement. Yes how utterly selfish of the parents to drag their kids around the world on a small boat rather than sitting them in front of the electronic babysitter and ignoring them as is the norm in our society.
Wow-you assume since I refused to let my children be subjected to living on a 30 ft piece of fiberglass that they sat in front of the television all day. I have three very well rounded adult children who are all college graduates and lead exciting lives. My daughter just returned from a trip to Asia-the difference was it was HER CHOICE! MY children have seen probably more of the world than you have. They have been to Iceland, New Zealand, Dominican Republic, etc. Get off your high horse and realize that what I said was from my own experience being married to a crazy sailor who now lives a life his children want NO PART OF.
Well, in all fairness, how would they know if they liked it or not? Kind of sounds like they never got a chance to experience it. Of course, take my comments with a grain of salt......this is coming from one of those crazy sailors....
Deprogrammer: I just showed my 25 year old son (who by the way is a banker lol, he says because that is where the money is) your comment. He wanted me to express to you that he is thankful that I gave him a chance to grow up and make his own choices instead of being fish food. And to you MR When will it end...my kids did sail and they all hated it. My husband still made them get on a boat and race in regattas and almost killed our toddler when the boom fell off the mast. I put my foot down on living on a boat in open water.
Thank you Carolyn. I grew up in a sailing family and fortunately, my father wasn't a nut job but I saw my fair share of them and the accidents and injuries that resulted. Good for you for following your mother's instinct.
I spent a few years on the West Coast, just south of SF. There is no way in the world I would take my children out on those waters in February unless I knew there would be clear weather and relatively calm water (which one of the posters said was NOT the case) AND knew first hand that there would be sufficient survival gear on board for all contingencies. Uninformed and unprepared is a no-go for any situation where lives could be at stake. That's Parenting 101.
And to Messrs. WWIE and Deprog, while I rarely sail anymore, I have raised a family of kayakers and canoers, spending our recreational/vacation time in untamed places around the world. So please don't assume that my children have lead risk-free, boring lives. That said, there have been plenty of occasions where we turned back from situations that we deemed unsafe, regardless of inconvenience, embarrassment, or money lost. It's just not worth it. Follow your gut, not your pride.
Eh Carol, to each his own. It's not for everybody. Anywho, I hope they find the people who are missing.
Carolyn: Just another harpy who poisoned her kids' minds against their father. I was married to someone like you. Divorced her ass. My kids are grown with families of their own. My grandkids started taking sailing lessons almost as soon as they could walk. My younger son (licensed structural engineer) has raced sailboats in more than 20 countries.
SHARK ! ..
What a lot of conjecture over unsubstantiated facts. Wait for more credible news folks.
People don't have a couple of hundred years to wait for NBC to produce news with facts...
They shouldn't have been out there in the first place.
From the San Jose Mercury News:
"The National Weather Service had issued an advisory throughout the weekend warning boaters of strong winds and rough seas around the San Francisco Bay Area.
Mariners "operating smaller vessels should avoid navigating in these conditions," the advisory said."
Over-confidence and stupidity at it's worst.
Sailing in the Pacific....really? 65 miles off shore?......wonder if they use Carnival Cruise too?
Eternal Father strong to save . . . for those in peril on the sea.
Four people on a sail boat,two of them children and no life vests?? Those kids should have had them on from the start. Doesn't sound good for them.
Life vests mean very little when the water is so cold !
I quit reading at that point. Why people pull self-defeating behavior like that, when they had the money and the brains to...never mind.
1. What is a make shift life raft?
2. No names?
3. No marina of origin of the vessel?
4. Did the CG not arrive in the immediate area within about 20 to 30 minutes?
Horrible to think someone would initiate such a terrible prank, yet one must wonder...
I hope the Coast Guard got a better description of the location than this article gives. The original call was fielded in Pillar Point Harbor several miles south of Half Moon Bay. Monterrey is quite a distance south of there, which makes it difficult to figure out where the boat was. If the original report of the location was reasonable correct, it will still cause the search area to be about 100 square miles or more due to the currents and winds in that area. I sincerely hope the occupants were able to deploy a life raft and successfully get into it. If not, there are lots of sharks in that part of the ocean and a lone swimmer would stand no chance at all of making shore from that distance.
My bet is hypothermia will get them long before a shark does. Sad story.
Charmblow or Charmglow?
It's not the Damfino.
(Note to self: Get off this board now.)
"The National Weather Service had issued an advisory throughout the weekend warning boaters of strong winds and rough seas around the Bay Area."
Everyone was warned...Stupid parents putting their kids in a potentially dangerous situation. Now they are missing. EPIC fail. I hope they are found safe and quickly, but it's not looking good. Those poor kids don't/didn't have a chance with idiot parents like that.
Yes I am thinking that they will all be found Cap'n Kirk.....but not alive.
Sounds suspicious. Boat incompletely identified by the "captain"? No life raft? No PFDs?
As of the news this AM the Coast Guard has not found any sign of the boat nor it's passengers. With the sea temps in the Pacific Ocean around 52 degrees now the life expectancy is,
15.5-10.0 degrees C (60-50 degrees F) 6 hours.
No life rafts??? STUPID!