The mainland is NE of Oahu 2300 miles. To the west there is about 6000 miles of water.
I suppose a boat could float around out there a while without being seen .
My condolences to the family.
It is a big freakin ocean out there:
from:
Missing Kauai Sailor Turns Up Safe on Big island | Beyond Honolulu
"Missing Kauai Sailor Turns Up Safe on Big island
January 2, 2012
By Beyond Honolulu Staff
Share0Tweet1Share0Share0Share1In a very bizarre twist, a missing Kauai sailor who had gone missing last week after leaving Kauai headed for Oahu has turned up safe on the Big Island (Hawaii).
Just a couple of days after the Coast Guard suspended its search for the sailor, 66-year-old Ira Foreman of Seattle, Wash. - arrived at Honokohau Harbor on Hawaii island - two weeks late and nearly 100 miles off course but alive.
So, how does the coast guard put together a search that includes a massive four-day search for Foreman covering some 209,000 square miles and involved a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, a HC-130 Hercules airplane, and two Navy P-3 Orion planes and come up with nothing? Interesting.
Here is how the current story is playing out. Foreman left Port Allen, Kauai, on the morning of Dec. 17 but failed to arrive at Keehi Lagoon as scheduled the next day. He was reported missing a week later.
Search and rescue officials at Coast Guard Sector Honolulu received word Saturday from Foreman's ex-wife that Foreman had contacted her via cell phone, telling her that he had been blown off course by strong winds but was never in any distress.
Officials were able to triangulate Foreman's location based on his call and an aircrew from an HC-130 Hercules plane from Barbers Point Air Station was able to spot a vessel matching the description of Foreman's 36-foot sailboard shortly after midnight. The crew, however, was not able to establish communication with the vessel.
The Coast Guard made contact with Foreman on his mobile phone around 8 a.m. Sunday and Foreman reported his location as 20 miles west of Kealekekua. He arrived at Honokohau Harbor around 3 p.m.
"We are eager to meet with Mr. Foreman to find some answers about this very challenging case," said Capt. Joanna Nunan, commander of Sector Honolulu, in a Coast Guard news release.
As of right now, the Coast Guard has not taken a statement or story from Foreman. I will say this, there seems to be more here than what is being told.
It should be interesting to see how this plays out, however, as of right now, Foreman is alive and well."
From:
http://www.beyondhonolulu.com/the-coast-guard-suspends-its-search-for-a-missing-kauai-sailor/
"The Coast Guard Suspends its Search for a Missing Kauai Sailor
December 29, 2011By Beyond Honolulu StaffShare0Tweet1Share0Share0Share1
Ira Foreman
The Coast Guard has decided to suspend its search for a missing sailor who mysteriously disappeared when he sailed from Kauai to Oahu earlier this month.
Ira Foreman, a sailor originally from Seattle, departed from Port Allen on Kauai Dec. 17. He was sailing a 36-foot sailboat named Arcturus and was supposed to reach Keehi Lagoon on Oahu the following day. His wife reported him overdue about a week later, late Saturday afternoon.
According to his wife, Foreman was originally sailing from American Samoa to Oahu, but happened to go off-course and ended up at Port Allen instead. He stayed aboard his sailboat at anchor for one day before departing for Oahu. That was the last anyone has seen or heard from him. It seems as though there have been a lot of missing persons reports from the ocean area around Hawaii lately.
The sailboat that Foreman was aboard is being described as having a white hull, white sails, no name on the transom, and four portholes on both sides of the cabin. Foreman reportedly had a cell phone, personal locator beacon, and VHF radio on board.
None of these apparently are helping the Coast Guard. They have searched and area of around 178,000 square miles continuously since Sunday, stretching about 600 miles west of Kauai, by Wednesday.
The search was finally called off Wednesday at 7:50 p.m., pending new information about Foreman's whereabouts, according to Coast Guard spokeswoman Angela Henderson.
Anyone with information on Foreman's whereabouts is urged to call Coast Guard Sector Honolulu at (808) 842-2600.
Not very often does this happen, especially with someone who has a personal locator on board their vessel"