Three men who went fishing off the coast of Georgia went missing after their boat failed to return a week ago, according to the US Coast Guard.
Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson and Tyler Barlow started their fishing expedition aboard the 31-foot “Carol Ann” on Oct. 14 but failed to return four days later, officials said.
“Coast Guard Sector Charleston Watch received a report from the owner of the fishing vessel Carol Anne stating she hired a crew of three that failed to return on Wednesday as scheduled,” the Coast Guard said in a statement Friday.
“The owner stated the crew extended the fishing trip to maximize their catch but became increasingly concerned as their last communication with the crew was six days ago,” he added.
Since the three were reported missing, authorities have been searching for the Carol Ann off the coast of Brunswick, the Coast Guard said.
“It was really scary. We have a stomach ache. A lot of tears and reunions, coming together to try to lift each other up and stay positive when we all feel torn apart,” Stevie Conway, Dalton’s sister and Caleb’s girlfriend, told Action News Jax.
(From left) Caleb Wilkinson, Dalton Conway and Tyler Barlow went missing during a fishing trip.
It was just another business trip for Dalton and Tyler, who are professional fishermen, but it was Caleb’s first trip, he told the outlet. Dalton was the captain of the ship.
“They usually like to go out about 70 to 80 miles offshore,” Stevie said. “And then, like I said, go to the North Carolina area to catch more fish there.”
Someone saw the man fishing at Triple Ledge about 5 p.m. Wednesday, the Coast Guard told Action News.
The 31-foot Carol Ann was due back Wednesday, the Coast Guard said. Facebook / Dalton Conway
Stevie speculated that his brother might have taken the boat further north.
“It’s not normal for him to do this. Most of the time, he has communication,” he said.
The Coast Guard said it had scoured about 20,000 square nautical miles since Friday and was moving toward the Carolinas to search for the man.
“We’re all hoping they’re just drifting off and trying to figure out what to do. We don’t know what happened. Honestly, we just hope they come home,” Caleb’s brother, Cameron Wilkinson, told First Coast News.
The three men were on a fishing trip on the Carol Ann when they failed to return to port. Dalton Conway is the captain of the ship.Facebook / Dalton Conway
“Caleb is always careful with everything he does, and if he wasn’t comfortable with Dalton and going there, then he wouldn’t have done it in the first place,” Cameron said.
Lt. Cmdr. Jason Erickson of Coast Guard Sector Charleston said the boat may have drifted.
“If they’re there and they get into trouble, become disabled or something happens there, the drift will eventually take them into the Gulf Stream, which will continue northeast at a faster rate,” Erickson told the outlet.
Tyler Barlow is a professional fisherman, as is Conway.Facebook / Christopher Tyler Barlow Conway’s older sister has called the ordeal “very scary.”Facebook / Dalton Conway The trip was Caleb Wilkinson’s first.
The ship is equipped with life jackets, satellites and emergency beacons, he said.
“We know that the boat has an electronic beacon on board, which we call an EPIRB, and we know that the beacon has not been activated. It should activate itself once it’s submerged in the water, and then it should release and position itself and indicate that there’s some kind of distress,” Erickson said.
“We have not received any flares that have gone out. That is a reason to hope,” he added.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
