Authorities are actively searching for Olympic sailor Trevor Moore, who vanished in Florida this week. As the U.S. Coast Guard tries to fit the pieces of the puzzle together and locate Moore, his fiancée, Libby Patton, is asking for prayers.
In a lengthy press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard, it was revealed that Olympic sailor Trevor Moore has been missing since Thursday morning.
Moore, who sailed with Team USA during the London 2012 Olympics and is a sailing coach, was last seen on a small boat heading to Biscayne Bay near Miami, Florida. Experts believe that it is possible to survive about three days adrift in the ocean because drinking sea water is not an option nor fishing:
“Hopefully you have on a wetsuit and an inflatable safety vest. This will keep you floating and somewhat visible to rescuers. But you won’t be able to collect water, and drinking sea water will only dehydrate you. Fishing isn’t a reality either.”
On Thursday afternoon, the 15-foot inflatable power boat belonging to Trevor Moore was discovered along with several personal items including his wallet and a GPS. A life jacket was also found by authorities.
Liz Barraco, a spokeswoman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, shared more details about the location and condition of the vessel:
“The boat was found just off the edge of Dinner Key tangled up in mooring lines by a sailboat. Now everyone is out here putting in an effort trying to find this gentleman.”
Trevor Moore is an experienced sailor, so many are wondering, what could have gone wrong? According to boating experts, there is a possibility that the sailor was knocked off his inflatable boat if he was traveling at a high speed. A sailing instructor revealed to a local news network, CBS Miami:
“If you’re traveling at a high rate of speed, it’s very easy to fall off unless you have a safety band, you can easily fall off the boat and the boat can keep moving if you are not on board.”
As she helped the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife officers search for her fiancé, Libby Patton took to Facebook seeking prayers. “I pray that people will do what they can and pray that we will find him,” Patton said.
Late Saturday evening, a major development took place: The U.S. Coast Guard announced that they were suspending the three-day search for Moore. Coast Guard Capt. Michael Long said in a statement:
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones affected.Despite the tireless search efforts by multiple agencies and good Samaritans, we were unable to find Mr. Moore.”
Trevor Moore is 30 years old.
