NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The Coast Guard early this afternoon called off its search of a boat with two people aboard reported missing 15 miles from the New Smyrna Beach shore slightly less than 24 hours earlier.
Coast Guard spokesman petty officer Bobby Nash said the search had been ongoing since Saturday afternoon when a distress signal was picked up about two people taking on water in a boat. There was no further communication.
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A Coast Guard cutter took over the search overnight along with asssistance from a Falcon Jet at daylight today, but there was no sign of a boat and the search was called off at 12:30 p.m.
"We didn't find anything out there at all," Nash said, "Nothing."
Coast Guard search and rescue crews searched for more than 20 hours for the two boaters with a cutter, aircraft and small boats. No evidence of a vessel in distress was discovered by Coast Guard crews while searching the waters off New Smyrna Beach.
Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville received a distress call stating that there were two people aboard a vessel taking on water at approximately 2 p.m. Saturday. The Coast Guard then lost communications contact with the unknown boaters.
The Coast Guard Cutter Shrike searched throughout the night and continued to search Sunday along with a HU-25 Falcon jet from Air Station Miami, which began searching at first light.
Two small boats from Coast Guard Station Ponce De Leon, and an HU-25 Falcon jet from Air Station Miami immediately launched to search for the two boaters Saturday after receiving the distress call.