Search suspended for family of four after boat sinks off Alaska coast

A family of four are missing and feared dead after their boat capsized in freezing waters off the Alaskan coast.

Mary, 37, and David Maynard, 42, as well as their two sons, Colton, 11, and seven-year-old Brantley, were on holiday and sailing aboard an 8.5-metre aluminium boat alongside four others when it began taking on water at around 7pm Saturday (3 August 2024), about 14 miles west of the Homer Spit.

The US Coast Guard received a mayday call from the vessel, named Salty Sea. Rescuers were able to pull four people stranded in a life raft to safety, but despite efforts from the Coast Guard, good samaritans and Alaska Wildlife Troopers, the Texan family were not found.

The Coast Guard suspended search efforts on Sunday (4 August 2024) after deploying two response boats, a helicopter and a Hercules aeroplane.

The Maynard family. Image courtesy of Tanashea Aviles / GoFundMe.

KCEN-TV reports that at the time the Maynards’ boat sank, waves in the area were about half a metre tall, and wind speeds were less than five knots. However, the water temperature was just 10C.

A GoFundMe page has been set up in support of expenses that may be incurred by the Maynard’s extended family.

“This sweet family of four was lost at sea on their vacation to Alaska,” writes Tanashea Aviles on the page. The page states that Mary and David Maynard’s parents still hope to find the family and want to continue the search.

Mary and David Maynard are both from Troy, Texas and raised their sons there, reports the Anchorage Daily News.

US Coast Guard spokesperson Travis Magee told The Associated Press he did not have information on the people who were rescued, nor did he have additional information on the boat that sank or what may have led to it capsizing.

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