A captain with U.S. Coast Guard said finding the boat belonging to two teenage boys missing at sea since Friday was positive news, validating the search effort and allowing search teams to recalculate their search from Jupiter to north of Ponce Inlet and off the coast of Jacksonville.
Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos were last seen Friday in the Jupiter area buying fuel for their 19-foot fishing boat. The Coast Guard found the boat Sunday capsized off the coast of Volusia County, about 67 nautical miles east of Ponce de Leon Inlet.
Hundreds gathered at a candlelight vigil in Palm Beach County Monday night to pray for Cohen and Stephanos.
Coast Guard Capt. Mark Fedor said crews have been searching day and night in the Atlantic Ocean for the two 14-year-old boys.
"Our intentions are to continue to search aggressively," Fedor said Monday. "As of midnight tonight, we'll have executed 32 different searches, covering over 27,000 square miles. That's about the size of West Virginia."
Officials admitted searching in the Atlantic Ocean was a challenging environment.
"It can be very tricky, especially searching from the air," said Petty Officer Steve Lehmann. "It's a needle in a haystack out there, and that is one of the reasons why life jackets are always orange, so it gives us better visibility in cases like this."
The Coast Guard found one life jacket Sunday near the capsized boat.
“Obviously disappointed the boys were not clinging to that boat but what it did do, it does validate our search efforts now we can recalculated some of the drift analysis that we’re doing, taking into account wind, seas, current and recalculate those search efforts,” Fedor said.
Fedor said they were not sure how many life jackets were on the boat, but they are not giving up their rescue efforts.
“This case certainly hits home. I have a 13 year old and a 14-year-old son at home," Fedor said. "So this resonates obviously with me and I can empathize with the families that are involved.”
Fedor said it's possible to survive 4–5 days in warm ocean water.
The next Coast Guard news conference was scheduled for Tuesday.
U.S. Coast Guard officials said the boat the two teens were on was a 19-foot, single-engine vessel with a center console. A family flier released Monday included this picture of the boat.
"There was no debris around the capsized vessel," Lehmann said. "As of right now, from what I understand, the boat hasn't been raided or hasn't been flipped over. We are just using that as a position to search from."
Cohen's stepfather, Nick Korniloff, said the two boys are experienced fishermen who would take trips to the Bahamas.
"They've been through rough water. They've been through thin water," said Korniloff. "It doesn't matter; those are salty dog kids. They know what they're doing out there, and so we believe that they're out there."
Florida boating age limits and regulations
Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
- There is no minimum age to operate a boat. However, the personal watercraft regulations and boating safety requirements below are age specific and would apply.
- A person must be at least 14 years of age to operate a personal watercraft in Florida.
- A person must be at least 18 years of age to rent a personal watercraft in Florida.
- Anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 is required to either have successfully completed a National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) approved boating education course or have passed a course equivalency or temporary certificate examination and have in their possession a boating education ID card and a photo identification card before operating a vessel with a motor of 10 HP or more in Florida. Identification cards for persons completing the course or the equivalency exam are good for a lifetime. Temporary Certificate exams are made available to the public through contractors. The temporary certificate is valid for 12 months from the issue date.
Lehmann said if the boys are still in the water, they could be experiencing hypothermia, severe exhaustion and muscle fatigue.
The capsized boat was to be anchored in place while search-and-rescue efforts continue.
A monetary reward of $100,000 for any information on the missing teens has been offered by Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Joe Namath, who is a family friend and neighbor to the boys.
Coast Guard crews search an area of about 25,000 square nautical miles — about the same size as the state of Indiana. (U.S. Coast Guard)