The Coast Guard is searching for a vessel off the central California coast after receiving a series of distress calls indicating the boat was sinking.
The boat was manned by a family of four, including two children under 8, who were sailing Sunday west of Monterey Bay. A weekend advisory warning boaters of rough seas was in place, and water temperatures are chilly, typically between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, making long-term survival difficult, the Associated Press reported.
Officials are urging anyone with information on the the family or the vessel, which authorities believe is named "Charmblow," to contact them immediately.
One of the passengers is a four-year-old boy, according to a report by Monterey County Weekly.
"There is still no information on where the boat was coming from, where it was going or who the people on board are," said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Mike Lutz, according to the AP.
The 29-foot sailboat made its first distress call late Sunday afternoon, prompting investigators to use the boat's radio signals and radar to determine that the call came from an area about 60 miles west of Monterey, the article said.
Crews searched by sea and air for to find the family, who in distress calls indicated their boat was taking on water and they were fashioning a raft from a cooler and a life-preserver ring before they lost contact with the Coast Guard, the reports stated. It is believed the boat was sailing without a functioning GPS system.
The Coast Guard is expanding its search of the vessel to include Hawaii, the Seattle ares and into Canada, the article said.
"We will just saturate the search area with as many assets as we can, so we can hopefully rescue them," Lutz said.
A clip of the distress call can be heard here.
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