A Boston Whaler found beached in Hampton, Va. prompted a search of the Chesapeake Bay that stretched from Annapolis to Hampton—but sadly there has been no sign of the boat’s operator, 63-year-old Christopher Martin Young.
Young apparently left Annapolis Friday evening and headed south, according to cell phone data. On Saturday at 6:40 a.m., a person walking the beach saw the boat ashore between Grandview Beach and Factory Point in Hampton. There were signs of recent occupancy on the boat, and its owner was believed missing.
The Coast Guard and Virginia Marine Police launched a search that covered an area of approximately 1,310 square miles over the course of 33 hours. It included a Coast Guard helicopter and four boat crews, Poquoson and Hampton fire departments, Hampton Police, and the Virginia Port Authority.
The Coast Guard’s search for Young was suspended Sunday afternoon.
“It is always a difficult decision to suspend a search and rescue case,” said Christopher Scraba, the active search suspension authority at the Coast Guard District Five command center. “Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. Young during this difficult time.”
Bay Bulletin will continue to update this story with any new information we receive.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
