Authorities search for 3 Americans missing in Pacific since journey to Cabo San Lucas, San Diego

The Mexican Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard are searching for three men who are missing in the Pacific Ocean after they embarked on a sailing trip earlier this month, authorities said on Saturday. 

The three American men set off on a 44-foot sailboat named Ocean Bound near Mazatlan in western Mexico, according to the Mexican Secretariat of the Navy. 

The three had planned to stop in Cabo San Lucas on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on April 6 to replenish their supplies and report before heading to San Diego—a journey of two days. However, they were last heard of on April 4. 

“There was no record of arrival in Cabo San Lucas, nor a report or their location,” the Coast Guard said, adding that they had contacted several marinas in Baja California but no one had spotted their vessel. 

Commander Greg Higgins, U.S. Coast Guard Search Mission Coordinator said that there were winds of approximately 30 knots, as well as 15 to 20 feet high waves, during their trip. 

“It would be arduous, it wouldn’t be a comfortable trip,” Higgins said. “The three persons on-board have experience in the maritime industry, so they understand the navigation of vessels … another person has years and years of experience on sailboats.”

The three men were identified as Kerry O’Brien, Frank O’Brien, and William Gross, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement issued on Friday. No information was provided about the men’s hometowns. 

The search for the missing sailors is still ongoing. The Coast Guard issued an urgent marine broadcast requesting all mariners to keep a lookout for the missing men and ship, reported Fox 5 San Diego.