Beached Boat Leads To Search For Owner

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The discovery of a beached sailboat on Elliot Key has prompted the Coast Guard to launch a search for its owner who was last heard from by his family on Christmas Day.

Missing is 62-year old Mark Myhre, of Bay City, Wisconsin, who owns the "Galilean" which was spotted by a boater beached on the ocean side of Elliot Key on Wednesday. The boater told the Coast Guard the Galilean had no visible signs of growth on the lines in the water and there was not one near it.

The Coast Guard launched a helicopter and cutter to search the surrounding area. Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue crews are also assisting with the search.

Smallboat crewmembers from Coast Guard Station Islamorada, Fla., and Station Marathon, Fla., are conducting shoreline searches from Elliot Key to Marathon.

The Coast Guard is asking for anyone with information about the missing boater to contact Coast Guard in Miami at (305) 415-6800.