DATE: September 10, 2009 10:39:27 AM EDT

US COAST GUARD
News Release

Date:
Sept. 10, 2009 

Contact: (757) 398-6272
Coast Guard searches for unidentified catamaran boater off N.C.

WILMINGTON, N.C. - The Coast Guard is searching for the operator of a capsized boat that was found 23 miles southeast of the Cape Fear River, N.C., Wednesday morning.

The crew of the charter boat Pomolas called Station Oak Island, N.C., watchstanders at 8:54 a.m. stating they had found a capsized 18-foot white Hobie Cat catamaran with a multicolored sail.

They did not see any debris, markings, or marine growth.

An MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew and an HC-130J Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., the crew of the 87-foot patrol boat Coast Guard Cutter Beluga, and a 41-foot rescue boat crew from Station Oak Island searched the area for any sign of the operator of the vessel.

When the boat crew from the station arrived on scene and righted the capsized vessel, they discovered a cooler and a half-eaten sandwich inside.

Identifying markings on the catamaran include a large number 16 on one of the pontoons and the number 65474 on the multicolored sail.

Watchstanders are contacting marinas and boat rental agencies in North Carolina and South Carolina to determine the identity of the vessel and its operator.

Anyone with information regarding this vessel or its operator should call the Coast Guard 5th District command center at (757) 398-6390.

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