Sailboat that left Honolulu is found; crew OK, lost communication

Crew members of a 44-boat sailboat en route to California from Hawaii stopped communicating with friends Friday because of a broken satellite phone, and not because they were in distress.

The sailboat Siesta, which left Honolulu on Thursday, was about 494 miles northeast of the islands Sunday when it was located by a nearby vessel.

The Kristen Picer, a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship, responded to a marine broadcast seeking the whereabouts of the boat, the Coast Guard said. The Siesta’s crew reported no one on the ship was in distress.

Friends of the Siesta’s crew contacted the Coast Guard on Saturday, after not hearing from the crew members since Friday night.

There are four sailors on the boat, which is bound for Long Beach, Calif.