Searchers suspend recovery efforts Thursday evening for missing boaters
Published 3:33 pm Wednesday, May 21, 2025
EVERETT — Authorities suspended their search for three missing boaters Thursday evening after a boat sank Wednesday in Possession Sound near Howarth Park.
Recovery efforts had continued Thursday, with Seattle Police Harbor Patrol providing additional technical assistance in the search.
Friday morning, searchers will be coming up with a new game plan, according to Everett police spokesperson Natalie Given.
Around 1 p.m. Wednesday, multiple callers reported a 26-foot vessel sinking in Possession Sound, approximately 200 feet from shore,
Officials believe the group had launched for the opening day of shrimping season.
A good Samaritan on another boat rescued a man in his 50s from the water as the boat began to submerge. That person was reported to be uninjured but later evaluated at the hospital. The people in the vessel were out shrimping, Given said.
It was too soon to say what led to the mishap, she said.
As of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, U.S. Coast Guard, Everett Fire, Everett Police and other agencies were using a helicopter, rescue boats, drones, fire rescue swimmers and land-based teams in the search. When officials arrived, the boat was already mostly submerged.
Responders tried to lift and tow it to shallower water, but the boat fully sank despite their efforts.
The operation transitioned to a recovery mission around 3:45 p.m, Wednesday, Given said.
The three people still missing include a woman in her 40s, a man in his 60s and a man in his 20s, Given said.
The Coast Guard continued to assist in the search with a helicopter crew and a small boat crew.
“We’re continuing to search for these three individuals anywhere in the water,” said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier Wednesday night. “The tides can move around people pretty easily. We’re saturating the area as much as we can. … We’re hoping for the best.”
Around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Coast Guard suspended its search, as the agency does not conduct recovery operations. Crews had used infrared cameras aboard small boats but did not locate any people or debris, Strohmaier said.
“We’re only out there for search and rescue,” Strohmaier said. “After we had exhausted our crews and searched the area, we unfortunately had to suspend.”
Aspen Anderson: 425-339-3192; aspen.anderson@heraldnet.com; X: @aspenwanderson.
