THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 16, 1994 TAG: 9407160244
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
Coast Guard boats and aircraft searched Friday without success for a Virginia Beach man who may have fallen overboard from his 30-foot sailboat in the Chesapeake Bay.
The boat, named Journey, was found about 5:30 a.m. Friday partially submerged in 9 feet of water on the west side of Smith Island, near the mouth of the Potomac River, the Coast Guard said.
The vessel was under full sail when it was found by a fishing vessel. It was not known immediately what caused the Journey to sink. Divers were investigating Friday.
Missing is George W. Edwards, 48. His wife reported him overdue about 11 p.m. Thursday when he failed to return from what was to have been a day-long trip. Edwards apparently began his trip from the Willoughby Bay Marina.
The Coast Guard used a 41-foot rescue boat from Crisfield, Md., plus a helicopter from its Elizabeth City, N.C., base and other auxiliary aircraft. Two boats and a dive unit from the Maryland Natural Resources Police also were searching.
KEYWORDS: DROWNING ACCIDENT BOAT by CNB