The Coast Guard suspended the search late Saturday for a sailor from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island who went missing after his boat broke apart on the island’s east side in the early afternoon.
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The Unites States Coast Guard found their boat capsized almost 70 miles off the coast of New Symma Beach on July 26. The Coast Guard said it had information that the boys may have told others through social media that they planned to travel to the Bahamas, but officials and family members say they’re not sure the goal of the boys’ trip and the destination.
Coast Guard Sector Mobile suspended their search at 9:36 p.m.
The families explained they would continue smaller excursions led by volunteers, friends and family instead of compensated professionals, in the search for the missing teenagers.
“If we have any new information that comes to light in the weeks and months ahead, we will reopen the case”, Fedor said.
“Without knowing what equipment they have, I would say dehydration is the main problem”, said Steven Callahan, who in 1982 survived 76 days at sea off the coast of Africa in an inflatable raft.
The families had held out hope that items believed to have been on the boat, including a large cooler, might be spotted, or that the teens might even have clung to something buoyant in their struggle to stay alive.
The families said they are thankful for everything the community has done in the past week, but asked everyone to “respect our privacy, as the use of our time will be focused on the continued dedicated search and rescue of our beloved children”.
This combination made from photos provided by the U.S. Coast Guard… We wanted to be upfront with them.
Let’s go boys… As the sun rises another day, it is a mothers prayer that you will be safe and sound…
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Coast Guard officer Amanda Norcross said the man was hypothermic when taken from the water.
