Missing Catalina Boaters Found Safe
Their partially sunken skiff pompted concerns they may be in trouble
Thursday, Jan 7, 2010 | Updated 2:44 PM PDT
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Coast Guard HH-65 Helicopter
Two souls onboard a 43-foot sailing vessel were the found safe by the Coast Guard today, after their yacht's semi-submerged dinghy was found off Santa Catalina Island.
The sailors answered their cellphone at midday to report that they were just fine, and had apparently lost their yacht's skiff.
Baywatch lifeguard boats, a Coast Guard HH-65 helicopter and a 41-foot Coast Guard utility boat began searching for a man, his son and their 43-foot sailboat after their boat's dinghy was found, partly sunk, about one mile off Catalina Island at 7:40 a.m.
The tender, a skiff, had been attached to the sailing vessel Windwalker, which had departed from Newport Harbor for Catalina Island Saturday morning, said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Stephanie Young. On board were skipper Michael Silliman, 54, and his 19-year-old son Shaun.
The small boat was found about a mile off Goat Harbor, about midway between Avalon and Two Harbors on the island's east side.
