The search for three Americans who were reported missing two weeks ago, after sailing off the coast of Mexico to California, has been called off, the authorities in both countries said.
The U.S. Coast Guard in Alameda, Calif., said on Wednesday that the Mexican Navy, known as SEMAR, had informed the agency that it had suspended its search for the three people after an effort of a cumulative 281 hours covering just over 200,000 square nautical miles.
The missing people, a woman and two men identified as Kerry O’Brien, Frank O’Brien and William Gross, were sailing aboard the Ocean Bound, a 44-foot La Fitte sailboat. They were last heard from on April 4, when they were near Mazatlán, Mexico, the Coast Guard said in a news release.
The three travelers had left Mazatlán on their way to San Diego, and they were scheduled to stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on April 6 to resupply the boat with provisions, according to the Coast Guard.
“However, they did not report in or arrive in Cabo San Lucas,” the Coast Guard said.
On Saturday, the Coast Guard shared information and photos of the missing sailors and the vessel.
The Coast Guard said that the search encompassed “an area larger than the state of California” off Mexico’s northern Pacific Coast, but that there were no signs of the missing boat or its passengers. The Coast Guard and the Mexican Navy worked together in coordinating and conducting the search.
As part of the effort, marine broadcasts were dispatched over VHF radio, but they did not yield any clues about the location of the missing travelers.
“An exhaustive search was conducted by our international search-and-rescue partner, Mexico, with the U.S. Coast Guard and Canada providing additional search assets,” Cmdr. Gregory Higgins, command center chief of Coast Guard District 11, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we found no evidence of the three Americans’ whereabouts or what might have happened.”
He added that “our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends” of the three sailors.
After the suspension of the search, Heather Alcazar, one of Mr. Gross’s daughters, said on Thursday that “although this was devastating news for our families, we support the decision of SEMAR and the U.S.C.G.”
Ms. Alcazar said her father, 71, is a San Diego resident.
“Knowing that our family members have been part of a multinational search is not something we take for granted,” Ms. Alcazar said. “It shows the kind of commitment and cooperation we will all praise in the years to come.”
“Ocean Bound and her crew are missing,” she added, “but they will not be forgotten.”
Ms. O’Brien’s mother, Ellen Argall, said on Friday that her daughter, who is 52, and Frank O’Brien have been married for 18 years, and that both are licensed boat captains who have sailed for nearly 20 years. The couple, who live in Girdwood, Alaska, had invited their friend Mr. Gross to join them on the trip, Ms. Argall said.
“I was devastated but I understand,” she said of the suspension of the search. “I still have a glimmer of hope. I am not going to lose my little glimmer of hope.”
