On Saturday to the south of Virgin Gorda, a St. Maarten resident was rescued from an overturned boat that had been drifting for about four days, but two other men remain missing at sea, according to the Police Information Office.
The survivor said St. Maarten residents Julien Roy Gabriel and Gabriel Bryan lost their grip on the capsized boat and disappeared below the water within 24 hours of the rescue, police stated in a Tuesday press release.
The survivor also said the group boarded the 16-foot Wahoo vessel — which was powered by a 70-horsepower Yamaha outboard engine — on Nov. 22 at Baie De Grand Case on the French side of St. Maarten headed toward Baie Du Marigot, according to the release.
However, a wave capsized the boat, which drifted until local boaters spotted it off Virgin Gorda on Saturday, the man reportedly told police. All safety equipment was lost when the boat capsized, police said.
As of Tuesday, officers of the Police Marine Branch were continuing the search for the missing boaters, according to the PIO. Police did not identify the survivor.