California-Bound Sailboat Siesta Located

California-bound sailboat located

HONOLULU — The crew aboard the sailing vessel Siesta has been located in no distress approximately 494 miles northeast of Honolulu, Sunday.

Coast Guard watchstanders in Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu were contacted by the crew aboard the motor vessel Kristen Picer, a Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel, at approximately 8:55 a.m. Sunday that they had located the Siesta. The Kristen Picer crew responded to a marine broadcast and assisted the Coast Guard in locating the 44-foot sailing vessel.

The Siesta crew reported a malfunction in their satellite phone as the reason for loss of communications. The crew has an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon and a Personal Locator Beacon aboard in the event of an emergency. The Siesta intends to continue on to California.

Coast Guardsmen at the Sector Honolulu command center were seeking the public’s help in re-establishing contact with the crew aboard the California-bound sailing vessel Friday night. The crew was on a 12-hour communications schedule with friends in Honolulu and hadn’t been heard from since Friday.

The Coast Guard recommends all mariners file a float plan. The plan should include the intended time of departure, the intended destination, duration of the voyage and estimated time of return. In the event a vessel does not return at the designated time, the Coast Guard can be contacted and begin a search.

"Mariners are reminded that filing a float plan with a family member or friend is highly recommended and may provide rescue crews with the essential information needed to find you if you're in distress" said Lt. Kevin Cooper, Sector Honolulu public affairs officer. "Sample float plans can be downloaded from the Coast Guard's Boating Safety Division website.”

For more information on float plans and safety visit www.uscgboating.org.