A man who tried to sail from Alaska to San Diego has gone missing. A friend tells Insider he urged him not to go.
- The Coast Guard is searching for a man who tried to sail from Alaska to San Diego.
- Rory Conan Williams, 45, departed his home in Sitka, Alaska, on July 9.
Rory Conan Williams set out from Alaska more than 25 days ago, intending to sail down the coast to his mother in San Diego. But the experienced 45-year-old sailor headed out on a boat with an engine that didn't work — and hasn't been seen since.
Now the US Coast Guard says it is searching for Williams and his 32-foot vessel, dubbed "Legz." A spokesperson told Insider it also received a report that one of Williams' sails had ripped soon after departing Alaska. The navies of both the US and Canada are also assisting in the search.
On July 9, Williams departed from Sitka, a town of fewer than 10,000 people on Alaska's southern coast where he had worked in the tourism business, having operated a scooter rental company. He intended to arrive in San Diego on July 27, where he planned to visit his mother before continuing on to Mexico.
A friend says he told Williams not to leave without fixing his engine first
Cheston Clark, a fisherman in Sitka, told Insider that he urged Williams not to go. Prior to departing, Clark said Williams had approached him and asked if he would tow his boat from the harbor to deeper waters, where he could then sail down to Southern California.
"[I] asked him not to continue on with that plan without fixing his engine first," Clark said. "And he said, 'Nope, the engine's not fixable,' for whatever reason."
Clark, who described Williams as a friend, said the missing sailor was simply determined to get out.
"He was frustrated with his current situation, with politics and the city of Sitka, and him trying to make a business out of there in tourism," Clark said. "He just wanted to leave town."
Williams is an experienced sailor, one confident enough in his abilities to attempt a journey of thousands of miles without an engine. His experience also likely led him to take his boat out into the Pacific Ocean, rather than hug the coast, Clark said — a decision that would likely save sailing time but take him out of range of helicopters searching for him.
The Coast Guard said Williams is believed to have set sail with 45 days worth of provisions and that he possesses an EPIRB, or Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, which could alert rescuers to his position if he were in distress.
Clark said he's confident Williams will turn up.
"He is the type of guy that shows up after the searches have ceased," Clark said. "My guess is that he is fine and just being batshit crazy."
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