Family Missing At Sea, Listen To Coast Guard Audio As They Abandon Ship Off California Coast

By Charles Poladian | February 26 2013 12:00 PM

Update: The United States Coast Guard has suspended the search for the family. According to the Coast Guard, "The multi-agency search covered an area approximately 20,000 square miles, an area roughly the size of West Virginia. The search lasted 42 hours and involved hundreds of rescue workers."

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A family is missing at sea. Their last known location was Pillar Point, Calif.

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A family is currently missing at sea, and the United States Coast Guard has released audio of the distress made by the father before they abandoned the ship. In the audio, the ship, named Blow Charm, was abandoned by the family off the coast of California.

The family of four, including two children under the age of 8, abandoned their 29-foot sailboat on Sunday and has been missing since that time. The Coast Guard has been trying to identify the family and has released the audio of the distress call made by the father on Sunday. The Associated Press reports included the mother and father of an eight-year-old boy and his cousin.

The ship was abandoned 65 miles off the coast of Pillar Point, Calif. The last communication between the family and the Coast Guard occurred at 5:30 p.m. PST, according to the statement released by the USCG. The Coast Guard’s search includes helicopters, as well as boats patrolling Pillar Point.

According to Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Mike Lutz, details surrounding the family remain scarce, and there is “still no information on where the boat was coming from, where it was going or who the people on board are,” KCRA reported.

It is unclear how the family was going to survive at sea, but the AP reports that the family was going to make an improvised raft by tying a cooler and life rings together. Over the weekend, forecasts indicated rough seas with water temperatures around 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

The boat has yet to be located, and the Coast Guard has expanded their search to Hawaii, Seattle and Canada. Audio of the distress call can be heard here.