Coast Guard looking for local boaters last heard from June 13
The U.S. Coast Guard continued to search for a Virginia Beach pair who failed to return Monday from a sailing trip to Portugal, coordinating their efforts with Bermuda and Canadian authorities.
Yanni Nikopoulos and Dale Jones, both 65, were reported missing Monday by Jones’ daughter. She contacted the Coast Guard Fifth District command center June 17, reporting that she hadn’t received any communication from her mother since the pair departed June 13.
Nikopoulos and Jones were sailing on a boat named Kyklades from Portugal’s Azores.
Coast Guard spokesperson Breanna Centeno said the pair left June 8 from Old Comfort Point Marina in Hampton. They were en route to Greece from Azores, but on June 13, notified family members that heavy weather had damaged their
sailboat and they were turning around to head back.
The missing boaters were about 460 miles east of Virginia Beach at the time of the call.
While there was not a set return date, Jones’ daughter indicated she was expecting Jones and Nikopoulos to return Monday, Centeno said.
The Coast Guard is coordinating with authorities in Azores, Bermuda and Canada to track cellphone and radio pings to narrow the search for air crews, according to a release.
HC-130 Hercules crews from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City have conducted two overflights of the approximate area of Jones and Nikopoulos. An Urgent Marine Information Broadcast has been issued by the Fifth Coast Guard District Command Center to alert boaters in the area to the situation.
“In situations like this, where there are so many unknowns, our coordination efforts need to cast a wide and intentional net,” said Chief Brian Gainey, command duty officer. “It’s a lot of detective work, but it’s all in service to finding these two individuals and bringing them home to their families.”
The Coast Guard is asking that anyone with information to call 757-398-6390.