Stephanos and Perry Cohen, both 14, haven’t been seen since Friday.
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Their capsized boat was found Sunday morning off the coast of Ponce Inlet, more than 180 miles north of where they started their journey.
Fedor said, while rescuers were disappointed they didn’t find the boys clinging to the boat, having the vessel validates the Coast Guard’s search strategy that they’re looking in the right area.
As dawn broke Wednesday, Soto says a C-130 aircraft planned a “first-light” search near Tybee Island, Georgia, where callers reported seeing something floating in the water Tuesday evening. It was not immediately clear whether the boys had undergone a safety class. Korniloff said he was focused on finding the boys and wouldn’t comment on questions about whether 14-year-olds should be allowed to venture so far alone.
“Regardless of how experienced you are in the water, things can happen”, he said.
“We’ve both always said that they’re just as comfortable on a boat and the water as they are on land”.
The Coast Guard scoured an area the size of West Virginia with no sign of the boaters by early Tuesday morning.
Although the search efforts have not revealed any trace of Perry Cohen or Austin Stephanos, their families are still hopeful they will be found alive. Lehmann cautioned citizens from searching on their own, saying that it could be unsafe and also impede the official search.
The boys’ families have pledged a $100,000 reward as friends and strangers take to planes searching for clues, although the Coast Guard has discouraged such private searches.
The saga began Friday, when the boys were spotted buying fuel around 1:30 p.m. A line of summer storms moved through the area later that afternoon and when the teens didn’t return on time, the Coast Guard was alerted at 5 p.m. and launched its search. People gather during a candlelight vigil and paper balloon release at Jupiter Inlet Park, Monday, July 27, 2015, for teenagers Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen in Jupiter, Fla.
Meanwhile, the community of Jupiter have rallied together as the search for the teens continues.
NFL legend Joe Namath, who is neighbors with the Perry family, spoke at a news conference on Sunday and asked the public to help search for the boys.
“The history of the high seas have survival rates over the years”, Namath said. “We’ll do anything to get our children back”. “I truly believe they’re out there”.
“They know how to make fresh water”.
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“They know what to do if they get in trouble”, he said. “I know they’re out there”.
