The Mexican Navy, with help from the U.S. Coast Guard, is searching for three American sailors who were last heard from on April 4 traveling near Mazatlán, Mexico, to San Diego.
Kerry O'Brien, Frank O'Brien and William Gross, also known as Bill, left Mazatlán, Mexico, on the sailing vessel Ocean Bound, a 44-foot La Fitte, and had planned to stop in Cabo San Lucas on April en route to San Diego, according to the U.S. Coast Guard District 11.
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No record exists of them arriving in Cabo San Lucas.
Cell phone pings on April 4 show the trio off the coast of Mazatlan calling into Cabo San Lucas presumably trying to make slip/ ball reservations, the family of Bill Gross stated. That is the last known contact of Kerry, Frank and Bill.
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Bill's family stated that Kerry, Frank and Bill are all experienced sailors. Bill has over 50 years of sailing experience. Kerry and Frank have 20 years of sailing together and both hold Captain's licenses with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Bill's daughter, Melissa Spicuzza, told NBC 7's Amber Frias that there's nothing her father loves more than being on the water, so much so he lives on it on her boat at the National City marina.
“He loves the ocean and he loves sailing so any opportunity that he has to be on the water, he will take," Spicuzza said.
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When two fellow boaters, Kerry and Frank O'Brien asked if he would join them in sailing their boat back from Mazatlán, Mexico, he couldn't resist.
“The O'Briens have a lot of sailing experience too. They're both licensed coast guard captains so there are almost 100 years of experience among them combined on that boat,” Spicuzza said.
It’s exactly because of their many years of experience that their families can’t explain why they haven’t heard from them in 11 days.
“The last message I got from my dad was, ‘We have a 9:30 departure today,' on Tuesday, April 4,” Spicuzza said.
Spicuzza added that it's very unlike her father not to communicate.
“We communicate constantly with family and friends. We have a Facebook group that we post to. We check in. If our sailing plan changes, we let people know," Spicuzza added.
The family is desperate and is pleading with the community to help bring their loved ones home.
"I'm just wanting my dad, my dad and the O’Briens, to roll back in and say, ‘What’s going on guys?'” Spicuzza said.
Search and rescue teams have made contact with marinas throughout Baja, Mexico, and issued urgent marine information broadcasts over VHF radio asking everyone at sea to keep an eye out for the three missing sailors and Ocean Bound.
Anyone with information on the location of the sailors and the vessel are urged to contact the U.S. Coast guard search and rescue coordination center at 510-437-3701.
