SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a missing 55-year-old man whose 30-foot sail boat ran aground on the beach one mile south of the Santa Monica Pier.
The Coast Guard Cutter Narwhal, an 87-foot patrol boat based out of Corona Del Mar, Calif. and a C-130 aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento searched throughout the night. Also engaged in the search was Baywatch Redondo, Baywatch Malibu, Baywatch Marina Del Rey, LA County Sheriff, and other agencies.
Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach received a report at 3:40 p.m. of the 30-foot sail boat running aground on the beach.
Sector Los Angeles issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast (UMIB). After further investigation, Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach discovered that the sailing vessel departed Catalina Island at approximately 9:30 a.m. with the 55-year-old man on board.
The search covered an area of more than 2000 square miles. Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento has conducted three search patterns with the C-130 aircraft, while Air Station Los Angeles completed 10 search patterns with a Dolphin helicopter. The Coast Guard Cutter Narwhal searched the vicinity of the San Pedro Channel.
The Coast Guard encourages all boaters to be prepared for possible emergencies by:
Having an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon on board with 406 MHz capabilities.
Register your EPIRB with NOAA according to the instructions provided with the beacon. Registration is mandatory, improves response, reduces false alarms, and can be completed online at www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov.
Ensure that your vessel is seaworthy. Contact your local Coast Guard Auxiliary for a free vessel safety inspection. Go to http://www.vesselsafetycheck.org/ for more information.
