Coast Guard suspends search for missing sailor from Kauai

Courtesy photo

This undated photo shows Ira Foreman, who was left Port Allen, Kauai on his sailboat on December 17 and was expected at Keehi Lagoon the next day, but never showed up.

Courtesy photo

This undated image shows the 36-foot sailboat that Ira Foreman, 66, departed Kauai on. Foreman left Port Allen on December 17 and failed to arrive the next day at Keehi Lagoon.

The Coast Guard suspended its search for a missing boater who disappeared while sailing from Kauai to Oahu earlier this month.

Ira Foreman, 66, of Seattle, departed from Port Allen on Dec. 17 aboard the 36-foot sailboat Arcturus and was supposed to reach Keehi Lagoon on Oahu the following day. His wife reported him overdue about a week later, late Saturday afternoon.

His wife said Foreman was sailing from American Samoa to Oahu but went off course and reached Port Allen instead. He remained aboard the vessel at anchor for one day before departing for Oahu.

The Arcturus is described as having a white hull, white sails, no name on the transom, and four portholes on both sides of the cabin. Foreman reportedly had a cell phone, personal locator beacon, and VHF radio on board.

The Coast Guard searched continuously since Sunday and covered about 178,000 square miles of ocean, stretching about 600 miles west of Kauai, by Wednesday.

The search was called off Wednesday at 7:50 p.m., pending new information about Foreman's whereabouts, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Angela Henderson.

Anyone with information on Foreman's whereabouts is urged to call Coast Guard Sector Honolulu at 842-2600.