Search for missing Bellingham sailor called off after ‘no evidence was found on land’
After the U.S. Coast Guard called off marine and aerial operations in the search of a missing 53-year-old Bellingham sailor, organized land efforts on Lummi Island also have been discontinued, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday, Oct. 24.
Nick Saling was reported missing at 11:30 a.m. Monday by his sister after he failed to return on Sunday evening from a sailing trip to Cypress Island, according to a Coast Guard release Monday.
More than two days of searching revealed few clues, though Saling’s 25-foot, yellow sailboat was located near Lummi Island, the release said.
“Last evening the official ground search on Lummi Island was suspended,” sheriff’s office Lt. Scott Huso told The Bellingham Herald on Thursday. “Friends and family of Mr. Saling may continue searching on the island on their own.
“The search area focused on the southeast portion of the island near where his boat was located. No evidence was found on land to lead the search in a direction away from the water.”
The sheriff’s office, with the help of volunteers from Summit to Sound Search and Rescue and Bellingham Mountain Rescue and Saling’s family and friends, continued to search the island on Wednesday, a day after a Coast Guard led marine search, which included two helicopters, the Coast Guard Cutter Terrapin and smaller boats from Coast Guard Station Bellingham, was suspended.
According to a press release from the Coast Guard Tuesday evening, more than 360 square nautical miles were searched over 15 hours. Most of those efforts were centered near Lummi Island, where helicopters were seen searching.
“U.S. Coast Guard along with Customs and Border Protection are aware of the incident and will be keeping an eye out during their general patrols,” Huso told The Herald.
This story was originally published October 24, 2019 at 3:23 PM.
