Search on for Boater Missing off Kent Island

An angler is missing after his boat was found aground on the southern end of Kent Island Thursday afternoon.

The Coast Guard and others are searching for the boater, described as a 65-year-old Asian man. When his boat slowly came to shore, it was still running, “with fishing lines out and freshly caught fish aboard, which prompted the search,” according to Coast Guard Station Annapolis.

Authorities learned that the man had left a marina in Deale, Maryland at 7:30 a.m. His truck and trailer were still there. A friend had last been in touch with the man around 12:45 p.m.

Boat crews from USCG, Maryland Natural Resources Police and Queen Anne’s County joined the search, along with Coast Guard and Maryland State Police helicopters.

At the time the man disappeared, the water temperature in the area was around 59 degrees Farenheit. According to the National Center for Cold Water Safety, anything below 70 degrees begins to get dangerous, and in 50- 60 degrees, you lose the ability to control breathing.

The Coast Guard is asking anyone with information on the missing man to call the Sector Maryland-National Capital Region at 410-576-2525 or on VHF-FM Channel 16.

-Meg Walburn Viviano