Man sailing from California arrives in Hawaii after Coast Guard launched search for him

Julia Gomez, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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Photo of the missing vessel, Malulani, is a 32-foot Westsail sloop.
Photo of the missing vessel, Malulani, is a 32-foot Westsail sloop.

A man who was reported missing after embarking on a sailing trip from California to Hawaii arrived safely, the U.S. Coast Guard says.

According to a press release sent out by the Coast Guard, the ship, manned by Noel Rubio, 60, arrived in Hawaii on Saturday.

The voyage lasted two weeks longer than expected, and there is no word on what caused the delay. Rubio was expected to arrive on Jan. 18, authroties said.

The Coast Guard received a notification on Friday about Rubio and began the search for him. He arrived on the island on Saturday, but the Coast Guard did not send an update until Monday.

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What happened?

The Coast Guard had announced in a Friday news release it was seeking the public's help in looking for Rubio and his sailing boat, “Malulani."

“The Coast Guard is greatly appreciative of the expert consult advice on weather and routes provided by experienced trans-pacific sailors,” said Douglas Samp, a search and rescue mission coordinator in the Rescue Coordination Center Alameda, in the statement.

The Coast Guard is searching for a missing sailor Noel Rubio who was setting sail to Hawaii from California.
The Coast Guard is searching for a missing sailor Noel Rubio who was setting sail to Hawaii from California.

Rubio set sail for Kaneohe, O’ahu, Hawaii, in the 32-foot Westsail sloop, on Dec. 28 from Long Beach, California. He was expected to arrive on Jan. 18 and was last heard from on Dec. 28 via cell phone when he told a friend he was leaving for Hawaii. He contacted the friend from south of Catalina Island, California.

He was expected to arrive at the island three weeks after setting sail, but he ended up reaching his destination a little over five weeks after his departure date.

According to the statement, the Cost Guard used "all available means to determine the Malulani’s location, including urgent marine information broadcasts (UMIB) and harbor checks in California, Hawaii, and Mexico."

The statement said the only form of communication onboard the ship was a VHF-FM marine band radio.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sailor reported missing, finishes trek from California to Hawaii: USCG