Update: The Coast Guard said Saturday afternoon that according to his spouse, Noel Rubio has been in contact with his family and is unharmed.
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U.S. Coast Guard officials said Saturday morning they were seeking the public’s help to find a 60-year-old mariner and the vessel he was sailing from Long Beach to Hawaii.
Noel Rubio departed from Long Beach bound for O’ahu on Dec. 28 in a 32-foot Westsail sloop known as Malulani, with plans to arrive on Jan. 18, but he never made it, according to the Coast Guard.
The last contact with Rubio occurred on Dec. 28, when he used a cell phone to call a friend from an area south of Catalina Island.
According to the Coast Guard, a VHF-FM marine band radio is the only means of communication on Malulani.
“The Coast Guard is greatly appreciative of the expert consult advice on weather and routes provided by experienced trans-pacific sailors,” Douglas Samp, search and rescue mission coordinator in the Rescue Coordination Center Alameda, said in a statement. “Mariners intending to conduct an open ocean passage are highly encouraged to have multiple layers of communication, including a VHF-FM DSC radio, HF DSC radio, satellite communications, and a 406Mhz electronic position indicating radio beacon as the notification of last resort to help SAR authorities locate your position in a time of need.”
Anyone with information about Rubio or Malulani is urged to contact Joint Rescue Coordination Center Alameda at 510-437-3701 or RCCAlameda1@uscg.mil or Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu at 808-535-3333 or JRCCHonolulu@uscg.mil.
