The United States Coast Guard and regional partners are searching waters between the Virgin Islands and St. Maarten for a 58-year-old Dominican man who failed to arrive at his destination after departing Tortola.
The Coast Guard identified the missing boater as Peter Baron, who reportedly left Tortola on Sunday as the sole person aboard the 45-foot white catamaran Ocean Time. Baron was reportedly delivering the vessel to its new owner in St. Maarten, but never arrived. His family reported him overdue to Coast Guard Sector San Juan on Wednesday night.
According to the Coast Guard, Baron had attempted the voyage about a week earlier but experienced problems with the vessel’s steering system and was forced to return to Tortola. A local maritime agent told authorities that Baron carried out repairs to the steering system himself before departing again on Sunday. Search efforts include a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter and HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft, along with assistance from Virgin Islands Search and Rescue (VISAR) , the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) and regional rescue coordination centres in Fort-de-France and Curaçao.
The Coast Guard has also issued alerts asking vessels travelling through the area to be on the lookout for Baron and the catamaran. Anyone with information that could assist the search is being asked to contact Coast Guard Sector San Juan at 787-289-2041.