Coast guard searches for yacht with 4 Americans off Okinawa

Monday 29th September, 11:19 AM JST

NAHA —

The Japan Coast Guard resumed searching Monday morning for a yacht with four Americans on board after the vessel sent a distress signal the previous day in the Pacific off Iriomote Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Coast Guard officials said. The Coast Guard received the signal Sunday morning from the 20-meter Jade Princess, which is believed to be some 80 kilometers southwest of the island.

The U.S.-registered yacht was sailing from Malaysia to Okinawa but the purpose of its trip and the crew members’ identities are unknown, the officials said. On Sunday, the Coast Guard found a distress signal device and white plates apparently from the yacht near Okinawa’s Yonaguni Island. The Coast Guard employed airplanes for the search as a patrol ship was unable to approach the area Monday due to strong wind and waves as Typhoon Jangmi was near Taiwan.

Latest 15 of 44 Total Comments Show All

techall at 06:05 PM JST - 29th September

Maybe they bought the boat in Malaysia and were sailing it home. That's viable route, a friend of mine took that route when he bought his boat in Taiwan. If you're going from Malaysia to the U.S. (or anywhere) you have to leave sometime. When they left Malaysia, that typhoon was probably not even on the map. They were 80Km out from Okinawa when they went missing so they were pretty close to making it. Minoru Saito just left Yokohama on a sailboat to sail around the world single handed and he is 71 yo. He knows the typhoon is out there, he is not stupid nor is he ignorant. He has done it before and he is an expert sailor. Maybe these guys were stupid but just because they tried to sail from Malaysia to Okinawa is not proof of that.
studebaker at 01:12 AM JST - 30th September

How many people does it take to sail a 60 footer? 2 minimum. Equipment: to be registered in the US as an ocean going vessel, a boat must be equipped with adequate navigation equipment. Just like a car and a driver's license, a Yacht needs to be properly equipped, and the captain needs proper training.

I hope they survived the storm.
ca1ic0cat at 02:28 AM JST - 30th September

A 60 foot yacht should be able to handle the storm with the right techniques and equipment. But even a 600' ship can come to grief if a mechanical failure occurs. There's no telling what went wrong but if they found an EPIRB with no yacht or liferaft around I fear the worst.
memyselfI at 09:50 AM JST - 30th September

Exciting comments ladies and gentlemen. I still stand with my statement. Every typhoon is different some are fast moving some are slow or whatever. Can you predict the weather ? Ok then maybe the ship's captain is ignorant and a idiot. We do not know the actual dimensions of this boat. So saying it is a 60 footer is your guess !!!! It's just a guess. He could have sailed in a smaller version or whatever. But whatever happens this guiy risked the life of his crew. And if he had a laptop he would turn with the wind behind him and get out of the storm.
kavikahi at 10:15 AM JST - 30th September

Looks like it "was" a 66 footer. Usually not the best idea to run your sails in a typhoon besides, keeping the wind at your back doesn't always get you out of a storm and surely he didn't need a laptop to feel the wind.

Looks like they tried outrunning it and almost pulled it off.

Check for a raft well off shore south of shang-hai.
techall at 10:27 AM JST - 30th September

Stars and Stripes is reporting that the yacht was in fact 66' they were bound for Yokohama where they were to board a cruise ship. They have not found the raft yet so they are still holding out some hope for them. From their last reported position they had two choices: 1. Run for safe harbour or 2. Head into the wind with a storm jib and ride it out. Looks like they made the wrong choice.
kavikahi at 11:41 AM JST - 30th September

**whatever happens this guiy risked the life of his crew.

You wouldn't want to be a passenger while my wife is driving the car.

Probably a valiant effort from the jade princess and crew.
palms at 07:52 AM JST - 1st October

For all you who don't know the whole story. 1)they are not on a pleasure cruise 2)they are doing their job for a civilian govt company 3)these were their orders 4)they had been on the water for a week already and the typhoon may not have even shown up at that time 5)when it did, they changed their course and headed for the nearest island 6)they were not headed to get on any cruise ship, they were delivering a boat. It's a shame that you all already passed judgment and don't even know a fraction of the story. These guys have friends and family trying to find out information and they find garbage like this. We all feel hopeless on the opposite side of the world. We hope the Japanese Coast Guard are taking this more serious than the rest of you. Maybe instead of everyone putting their energy in to slandering God's people, your energy could be focused into making sure everything possible is being done to help our loved ones.
techall at 11:32 AM JST - 1st October

Thanks for the info palms. Stars and Stripes has printed a correction on the boarding a cruis ship part of their original story. Also, they now have a photo of the Jade Princess which is a motor yacht and not a sailboat. The japanese Coast Guard has not given up hope of a rescue and have two ships and three planes still actively searching. People have been documentded to have survived for weeks ing liferafts. I hope these people are found safe.
frontandcentre at 06:21 PM JST - 1st October

memyselfI - I hope that you are suitably chastened by "palms" comments above. Find out the facts before you start making unpleasant assumptions about people who may be in jeopardy.
beths at 05:51 AM JST - 2nd October

Thank you "palms" and "frontandcentre" for your thoughtful comments. I happen to be a sister-in-law to one of the men who was on the Princess Jade. I came to this site to see if there were any updates and started to read the comments. It's really hard for me to understand or even believe that so many people who were commenting had such negative things to say including speculative comments that have no basis. If that's how you spend your time, rather than extending well wishes and good thoughts, such as those of "franknbeans" and "rdj jr", then you are more pathetic than anyone who goes to sea in a storm. How dare you criticize any person from that boat when any or all of them could be seriously injured or worse! Find something more constructive to do with your time and try to think of others before you make such offensive remarks.
beths at 05:55 AM JST - 2nd October

Palms, I am wondering how you know so much. It seems like you have more information than my brother-in-law's wife. Can you explain anything further?
frontandcentre at 10:33 AM JST - 2nd October

beths - I wouldn't waste your time with uninformed, thoughtless people like him. You have far more important concerns. Many, many people are wishing for the best, rest assured.
frontandcentre at 10:35 AM JST - 2nd October

BTW, I didn't mean "palms" - I meant the other people speculating about this without knowing anything...
MikeBarrymore at 12:34 AM JST - 4th October

This could up as a tragedy. I always like a paddle myself.

Wouldn't dream of it without checking the weather forcast first though.