U.S. Coast Guard suspends search for missing boater who didn’t arrive in Blaine
The U.S. Coast Guard announced that at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, it suspended the search in Whatcom and Skagit county waters for a boater who was overdue arriving in Blaine on a trip from La Conner.
The announcement was made late Tuesday in a press release, which added the search was “suspended pending further developments.”
Missing is 39-year-old Michael Smith, according to the release, who was last seen wearing black shorts and a blue sweatshirt an in an 18-foot teal and white skiff. Smith reportedly left La Conner at approximately 3 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, and was supposed to arrive in Blaine by sunset Monday.
The Coast Guard does not have record of Smith’s hometown, Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier told The Bellingham Herald, though he said a family member reported seeing Smith’s boat heading northwest along the west side of Lummi Island at approximately 4 p.m. Monday.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound were notified by a family member at 1:30 a.m. by the Swinomish Tribal Police Department that Smith was overdue, according to the release, and an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast was issued.
Multiple Coast Guard crews, including searchers from Coast Guard Station Bellingham, Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles, the Coast Guard Cutter Sea Lion and the Swinomish Tribal Police Department, were launched to look for Smith, the release stated, and numerous tribal fishing vessels aided in the search.
Crews seared an area of 143 square miles for approximately 11 hours, according to the release.
“Basically, the search is suspended right now. If we receive information, such as if somebody found the vessel, it’s possible we might restart the search,” Strohmaier said. “But we’ve saturated the area and acted as if it were one of our own family members we were searching for, using multiple assets on water and in the air and help from other agencies. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find anything.”
Anyone with information about Smith’s whereabouts is asked to call the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound at 206-217-6001.
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 7:24 AM.
