Capsized Boat Spotted Off Ireland; No Sign of Solo Yachtsman

The capsized boat of a yachtsman long overdue after sailing for France was found at sea Sunday, but there was no sign of the sailor, the Coast Guard said.

Michael Plant’s 60-foot sloop, Coyote, was spotted by a passing freighter about 480 miles southwest of Ireland, his brother said.

“We’re told the hull looked intact,” Tom Plant of Gaithersburg, Md., said.

Coast Guard Petty Officer David Silva said the freighter came within 50 yards of the boat.

“They stopped and circled and they made an effort to look closer, but they couldn’t because it’s pretty rough out there,” he said.

The Coast Guard was trying to contact someone with a boat that could reach the Coyote.

“It’s a matter of finding someone who is closest and who has the resources to go,” Silva said.

The Coast Guard had stopped searching for Plant on Wednesday after five days, but had said earlier that the hunt would resume because of his past successes in overcoming hardships at sea.

Plant, 42, of Jamestown, R. I., left New York City on Oct. 16, planning to arrive in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, on Oct. 30 to participate in an around-the-world race that started Sunday.

Three days after leaving New York, Plant asked a passing freighter to relay a message that he had lost electrical power, preventing him from using his long-distance radio gear and automatic pilot.

The last contact with Plant was a beacon signal picked up Oct. 27 by the Canadian coast guard. It was too weak to determine a position.

Canadian authorities did not immediately notify U.S. officials that an American was involved because Plant had not registered the beacon’s identification code.

Family and friends in Rhode Island later tracked the identification number through the store where he bought the device.

Tom Plant said the family was hopeful that his brother, who has sailed around the world three times, is still alive.

“Knowing Michael and the way he’s able to think quickly, we believe he could still be in the boat and have found an air pocket and poked a hole in the hull. He would still have food on board,” the brother said.