Family With Young Children Missing After Sailboat Sinks Near San Francisco
A family of four is missing after their sailboat allegedly sunk off the California coast. The four people — including a couple an two children under 8 years old — went missing after making an emergency call for help.
The group said that their boat — a 29-foot sailboat thought to be named the Charmblow — was taking on water. They also stated that their electronics were failing. The Coast Guard lost contact with the group, but not before they confirmed that they were abandoning ship in the bad weather.
The US Coast Guard has since launched a major search for the group, which is believed to include a couple, their 4-year-old son, and the boy’s cousin.
Rescue teams have reportedly been using aircraft, a patrol boat, lifeboat and cutter to search the waters south of San Francisco. They have yet to find any sign of life, according to Sky News.
Lieutenant Heather Lampert said the missing vessel was about 65 miles off Pillar Point Harbour in Half Moon Bay when the call for help was made yesterday afternoon around 4:20 pm.
While reports say that the group are thought to have made it onto a makeshift raft, local news reports that the victims lacked any real life rafts or survival suits.
They allegedly planned to tie an ice chest and other materials together as a means of flotation.
The National Weather Service had issued an advisory over the weekend warning boaters in the Bay are of strong winds and rough seas. The advisory urged boaters to avoid sailing in the inclement weather.
