Two boats capsized off the West Marin coast this past week in heavy seas, and as of Wednesday evening, two crab fishermen were still missing.
The missing fishermen are Don Theilan of Richmond, captain of the 48-foot New Florie S, and his deckhand Andrew King, also of Richmond.
Despite small-craft warnings, the boat had left Channel Marina in Richmond at 6 a.m. heading for Double Point just north of Bolinas. However, at 1:57 p.m., the New Florie S issued a distress call from a mile west of the Point Bonita Lighthouse.
At the time, gale-force winds were whipping up 25-foot-high breaking waves, which apparently caused the New Florie S to capsize.
A Coast Guard helicopter and 44-foot rescue boat began scouring seas as far north as Point Reyes but were unable to find any sign of Theilan and King. Anderson told rescuers he last saw the two men holding onto crab floats, reported Coast Guard Petty Officer Shelly Freier.
Floating crab gear and an empty survival suit were later spotted 150 yards off Fort Cronkhite, Freier noted, but the search was eventually called off because of dangerous seas.
Nonetheless, a lifejacket from that boat was found Monday on Limantour Beach by Zoe Hill and Yvonne Richardson of England, who are staying with Barney Clark of Point Reyes Station.
On Tuesday, the two women returned to Limantour and found a survival suit, also from the Maybe Later.
Clark tried to report the findings but said the Coast Guard rescue unit in Bodega Bay showed little interest and appeared not to know where Limantour Beach is.
He then called The Light, which put him in touch with the Coast Guard emergency office in San Francisco and with the Marin Sheriff's deputies, who also notified the Park Service.
Park Service ranger Paul Sechler then checked the beach himself and found a second survival suit, along with other debris from the Maybe Later.