Three American sailors with decades of experience who went missing during a trip around Mexico’s Baja California peninsula would have been battling strong winds and 15-foot waves from the outset, officials said Monday.
The Mexican Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard continue their search for the trio, who were expected to arrive in San Diego more than a week ago, according to authorities.
Kerry O’Brien, Frank O’Brien and William Gross were last heard from when they left Mazatlán, Mexico, on April 4, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a news release. They left the coastal town in the Mexican state of Sinaloa on a 44-foot LaFitte sailboat and planned to stop in Cabo San Lucas on April 6 to resupply, officials said.
But there is no record of their boat arriving at the port in Mexico, according to authorities.
The trio are “experienced sailors,” according to a joint statement from their families. Gross has over 50 years of sailing experience, while wife and husband Kerry and Frank O’Brien each have 20 years’ experience and a captain’s license with the U.S. Coast Guard, the statement said.
On the day the boat was last seen, local conditions on the ocean were “rough,” U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Levi Reed said. Winds were around 34 mph with ocean waves of 15 to 20 feet, Reed said.
Ocean Bound left Mazatlán at 9:30 a.m. heading west across the Sea of Cortez, according to the family’s statement, but the boat did not check in to the Cabo San Lucas marina by Saturday or Sunday. According to the family, someone on the boat attempted to contact the marinas in Cabo San Lucas by cellphone, but their calls were short based on cellphone pings, which means they were probably unsuccessful in getting a connection.
There has been no radio contact from them since, the family said.
Their boat, called Ocean Bound, has not been sighted, and search and rescue crews have contacted port officials across Mexico, including in Baja California, to alert them about the missing sailors,…