Empty boat belonging to missing 70-year-old found in waters off Florida, Coast Guard says
.jpeg "Bert Erwin was taking his 37-foot boat on a trip up the Gulf Coast of Florida when he disappeared, the Coast Guard said.")
UPDATE: On Friday, Sept. 13, the U.S. Coast Guard announced it had suspended the search for Bert Erwin after covering 8,462 square miles of Florida’s Gulf Coast.
“We offer our deepest condolences to Mr. Erwin’s loved ones. One of the hardest decisions to make during a search is a suspension,” said Lt. Andrew Grady, search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg.
The original story continues below.
The boat belonging to a missing 70-year-old mariner has been found abandoned and disabled off the coast of Florida, officials said.
Bert Erwin disappeared during a roughly 150-mile journey up Florida’s Gulf Coast from Marco Island to Indian Rocks Beach, the Coast Guard said in a Sept. 11 news release.
The boater was last seen leaving Rose Marina on Monday, Sept. 9, rescuers said. The Coast Guard asked anyone with information to contact Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders.
On Sept. 12, the Coast Guard said it had found his 37-foot vessel with no one on board about 30-miles off the coast of Englewood, about halfway to his destination.
Air and marine units are searching for him, possibly in the water.
Indian Rocks Beach is on the Pinellas County peninsula.
This story was originally published September 12, 2024 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Empty boat belonging to missing 70-year-old found in waters off Florida, Coast Guard says."