HONOLULU — The Coast Guard is searching for a 50-year-old Chinese man reported overdue while sailing his 30-foot catamaran from San Francisco to Shanghai, Tuesday.
Missing is Guo Chuan.
An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point was launched to search for the mariner along with vessels in the area. The crew of the USS Makin Island is attempting to rendezvous with the vessel to confirm Chuan is aboard.
A Navy MH-60 helicopter overflew the vessel Wednesday morning and was unable to hail Chuan. The Coast Guard Hercules crew overflew the vessel Tuesday afternoon with the same result.
Tuesday morning, watchstanders at the Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu received notification from Maritime Rescue Coordination Center China personnel that the vessel Qingdao China, with one person aboard, had not been heard from for 24 hours.
The Qingdao China is actively transmitting on an automatic identification system which showed the vessel’s position at the time 620 miles northwest of Oahu.
The mariner is regarded as a very experienced sailor and is reportedly in good health. He is attempting to set a solo single-handed sailing record from San Francisco to Shanghai. He had been in constant contact with MRCC China and family on the voyage and is not likely to miss scheduled calls.
Current weather on scene is reportedly 23 mph winds, seas to 5-feet with good visibility and scattered clouds.
The Makin Island is an amphibious assault ship attached to the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit that departed Naval Station San Diego for a scheduled deployment, Oct. 14, to provide maritime security operations, crisis response capability, theater security cooperation and forward naval presence in the Pacific.
