San Diego
A Canadian sailor who was apparently swept overboard near the Coronado Islands was still missing Wednesday after a second day of searching by the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard used three helicopters and a jet to search for Joseph Clarke, 61, of North Delta, British Columbia, a spokesman said. A Navy helicopter found Clarke’s 27-foot sailboat, Migal-1, adrift Tuesday about 20 miles southwest of San Diego and reported the sighting to the Coast Guard.
The Migal-1 sailed out of Vancouver on its way to Cabo San Lucas. Clarke was last seen in Dana Point at 8 p.m. Sunday and was headed to San Diego to pick up a passenger, the spokesman said. There was no evidence of foul play, and the boat’s radio and navigation equipment were working properly, he said.
However, the boat’s jib was torn and the mainsail was lowered, indicating Clarke had run into heavy winds that slammed into San Diego early Monday morning, and authorities speculate that he may have been washed overboard.
The search Wednesday concentrated on an area 15 miles west of Del Mar stretching south to the Coronado Islands, the spokesman said.
Searches were suspended Wednesday evening, a spokesman said, and no decision had been made about resuming the effort, a Coast Guard spokesman said.
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