Summary of Free Spirit Search

Summary of Free Spirit Search

BOSTON (June 18, 2006) - The U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search about 1:45 p.m. today for the 41-foot sailing vessel Free Spirit, with four people on board, which was reported to be in distress June 15 approximately 200 nautical miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia and 290 nautical miles east of Chatham, Mass.

The Coast Guard has been working closely with the Canadian Coast Guard and Navy, as well as the U.S. Navy. Assisting in the search were:

* Coast Guard Cutter Spencer, homeported in Boston
* HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass.
* HU-25 Falcon jet from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass.
* C-130 Hercules fixed-wing airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, NC
* Canadian Navy vessel HMCS Halifax
* Canadian Coast Guard vessel CCGS Earl Grey
* Canadian Navy C-130 fixed-wing airplane from Greenwood, Nova Scotia
* Canadian Navy P-3 fixed-wing airplane from Greenwood, Nova Scotia
* U.S. Navy P-3 fixed wing airplane from Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine

The total search area exceeded more than 15,000 square miles, an area slightly larger than the state of Massachusetts. The joint surface search time exceeds 61 hours, and the joint air search time has been 140 hours. The U.S. spent more than 80 hours searching, and Canada contributed 124 hours to the search efforts.

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Source: U.S. Coast Guard