The U.S. Coast Guard Wednesday called off its search, pending further developments, for a boater missing since Monday in waters south of St. Croix.
According to Coast Guard public information officer Ricardo Castrodad, the missing boater was one of three men from Puerto Rico on a recreational fishing trip aboard a 14-foot vessel. The boaters reportedly fell into the water at approximately 5 p.m. Monday after they lost control of their vessel when it went into a spiral.
One of the three men was able to swim to shore Monday and, after a two-hour swim, found a phone and called 911. The Coast Guard launched a search of the waters south of St. Croix and early Tuesday, shortly after midnight, found the boat about 4.5 miles south of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport.
Tuesday morning a Boat Forces St. Croix response boat recovered a deceased boater from the water, approximately 2.5 nautical miles southwest of Henry E. Rohlsen Airport.
The search for the third boater continued Wednesday, and people on the south coast of the island reported seeing the orange Coast Guard helicopter crisscrossing the waters. However, no sign of the third man was found, and at about 5 p.m. Wednesday the search was called off.
According to Castrodad, none of the boaters was wearing a life jacket.
Since the search began Monday, Coast Guard rescue crews conducted a total of 19 searches alongside the Coast Guard Auxiliary and St. Croix’s Blue Lightning Maritime Police. Coast Guard rescue crews searched approximately 1,039 square nautical miles with surface and air assets, which also included a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry and a Coast Guard Auxiliary fixed-wing aircraft.
The names of the three men have not been released by the Coast Guard or the St. Croix police.
Anyone with information on the missing boater can contact the Coast Guard by VHF radio on Channel 16 or dial directly to 787-289-2041.
In announcing the cessation of the search Castrodad offered the following boat-safety tips that might prevent further tragedies in the water.
• Always wear a life jacket.
• Carry a VHF-FM marine radio and/or an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon.
• Don’t drink and boat
• Take a boating class, educated boaters are safe boaters
• Check weather forecasts
• Make sure the boat is in good repair
• Check all safety gear and ensure that everybody is trained in its use
• Don’t overload your boat
• Operate at a safe speed; a safe speed is the distance you can safely stop to avoid a collision in the prevailing visibility and or density of boating traffic
• File a float plan; float plans outline your voyage by documenting times and locations of departure and expected arrival, number and ages of people on board, vessel description, safety equipment on board and much more.
A copy should be left on the dashboard of your vehicle, visible from the outside, as well as with a responsible party you are in regular contact with. They should be instructed that in the event your vessel does not arrive as planned, to contact the nearest Coast Guard station.
