MIAMI — The Coast Guard is searching near the Bahamas Tuesday for two missing boaters who reportedly did not arrive in Bimini, Bahamas, as scheduled.
Rich Alesia and Edwin Pritchard, both Miami residents, left from Haulover Inlet in Miami Saturday en route to Bimini. They were traveling in an 18-foot, center-console style Key Largo pleasure craft. The boat is white with a green-blue stripe.
A family member contacted Coast Guard search and rescue coordinators at Sector Miami Sunday stating Alesia and Pritchard had not arrived at their final destination as expected. The Coast Guard immediately launched a search and are covering a large area from Miami to Port Canaveral, Fla.
Searching are:
- The crew of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Miami
- The crew of a C-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla.
- The crew of a HH-144 Casa fixed-wing aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Mobile, Ala.
- The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Dolphin
- The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Chandeleur
- The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bluefin
- The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Diamondback
If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of Alesia and Pritchard, they are asked to contact the Coast Guard at 305-415-6800.
