Noel Rubio: Sailor on solo voyage from California to Hawaii vanishes, Coast Guard search underway

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA: The US Coast Guard has been desperately searching for 60-year-old sailor Noel Rubio, who vanished in the Pacific Ocean while sailing from California to Hawaii last month.

Rubio set off alone on the 2,471-mile voyage on his 32-foot Westsail sloop sailing boat Malulani from Long Beach on December 28, 2023. He was expected to arrive in Hawaii on January 18, but stopped contacting friends 37 days ago, leading to fears he may have met with disaster at sea, as reported by The Mirror.

Noel Rubio had no means of communication aboard

According to the Coast Guard, Rubio last made contact with a friend using a phone on December 28 to say he was headed to Kaneohe on the island of O'ahu in Hawaii. That was the last time anyone heard from the solo sailor.

With no other means of communication aboard Malulani except a VHF-FM marine band radio, maritime authorities have been unable to establish contact or locate the vessel.

The Coast Guard has issued urgent marine information broadcasts and checked harbors in California, Hawaii and Mexico in hopes of finding some sign of Rubio or his boat. But so far, there has been no trace of the missing man or his sailing yacht.

"The Coast Guard is greatly appreciative of the expert consult advice on weather and routes provided by experienced trans-Pacific sailors," said Douglas Samp, a search and rescue mission coordinator at the Rescue Coordination Center in Alameda, California.

Noel Rubio's intended route crosses one of the most unpredictable stretches of Pacific Ocean

Rubio’s intended route from California to Hawaii crosses one of the most remote and unpredictable stretches of the Pacific Ocean. While Rubio is an experienced sailor, the two-week solo journey poses inherent risks even in ideal conditions.

However, Rubio set sail in late December amid an onslaught of severe winter storms that likely made his passage even more treacherous.

California was battered by over a month of relentless rain, wind and surf that left thousands without power and grounded flights statewide. On January 5, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency after 160,000 households lost electricity due to the harsh weather.

Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, called the conditions "the most challenging storm series to touch down in California in the last five years." She said state officials were preparing for one of the most impactful stretches of winter weather in recent memory.