Two men were taking a 30-foot Catalina sailboat down the East Coast when they seemingly disappeared from Oregon Inlet, and now the Coast Guard is looking for any information on where they and their boat might be.
U.S. Coast Guard Mid-Atlantic says Kevin Hyde, 65, and Joe Ditomasso, 76, were sailing the boat Atrevida II from Cape May, New Jersey to Marathon, Florida. They were already well down the coast when they were last seen on Dec. 3, leaving from Oregon Inlet, North Carolina.
The boat has a navy bluish-purple hull with a blue dodger and mainsail cover. Their planned leg was from Oregon Inlet to Jupiter, Florida, but they never made it to port.
The Coast Guard says Atrevida II may have stopped in Morehead City, North Carolina, but that has not been not confirmed.
While Hyde, Ditomasso and their sailboat were past the Chesapeake Bay region when they went missing, the Coast Guard is hoping that boaters will share details of the missing sailboat throughout East Coast boating circles.
The Coast Guard’s widespread search response includes four HC-130 Hercules aircraft, based in Elizabeth City, North Carolina and Clearwater, Florida. The Coast Guard cutters Oak from Newport, Rhode Island and Richard Snyder from Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.
If you or someone you know has any information regarding the missing boater, call the Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command Center at 757-398-6700.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
