The U.S. Coast Guard has resumed its search for four British sailors who went missing last week.
The crew of the Cheeki Rafiki were all experienced offshore sailors: Steve Warren and Paul Goslin, ages 52 and 56, and Andrew Bridge and James Male, ages 21 and 23. (Via ITV)
As Sky News shows, the crew were on their way from Antigua back to the U.K. But last Thursday evening, they reported taking on water. And Saturday, a cargo ship spotted an overturned hull near the boat's last known location.
One day later the U.S. coast guard called off its search, saying the chance of the crew's survival was slim. And That prompted an outcry from British press, public and from the family who are still hopeful the sailors stayed afloat aboard a life raft.
"We really don't know if they made it off the yacht and into the life raft. We hope they did. There's an indication that they did, because the personal locater beacons were going off. ... If they had time to evacuate, then yeah, they will be on that life raft. So yeah, I've got every hope." (Via The Telegraph)
A petition on Change.org, the go-to site for online causes, racked up 236,000 signatures. The message: "The US Coast Guard has done a fantastic job searching for the crew, but we are asking that they just give them a bit more time."
So Tuesday the search picked back up, with the Coast Guard adding air support. The officer overseeing the search told press "We treat every search like we’re looking for a member of our own family."
In a sign of just how big the issue is for Britain, the U.K.'s prime minister showed his thanks to the Coast Guard Tuesday. (Via Twitter / @David_Cameron)
Meanwhile, family of the crew are keeping their hopes high and the missing sailors in their thoughts.
"He is very giving and loving, and it's all coming back to us now. And we're waiting for him." (Via BBC)
