PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard is searching the Atlantic Ocean approximately 300 miles northeast of Bermuda for a sailor aboard a 35-foot sailboat after he was reported overdue, Monday.
Overdue is Sergei Morozov aboard the vessel Hikari of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Morozov’s daughter notified the Coast Guard via e-mail after she had received a message from her father, relayed by the crew aboard a passing commercial ship. Morozov’s message stated that his vessel was slightly damaged but he anticipated arriving in Bermuda by Dec. 19.
The Coast Guard used the Inmarsat C maritime mobile satellite system to send out an enhanced group call asking mariners to keep a lookout for the Hikari. The call allows broadcast messages to be made over a large maritime area.
At approximately 6:30 a.m., the Coast Guard launched a crew aboard an HC-130 Hercules from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., to search for Morozov.
The Hikari is described as a Canadian registered, 35-foot sloop sailing vessel with a white hull.
The Coast Guard is asking anyone with information on Morozov or the sailing vessel to make reports to the Coast Guard in Portsmouth, Va., at 757-398-6390.
