An air and land search was underway late Thursday in Cape Elizabeth after an unmanned sailboat, with its sails raised, was discovered on Richmond Island.

According to the Coast Guard station in South Portland, a report of the unmanned sailboat with a skiff in tow was received around 6:15 p.m. Richmond Island is only accessible by boat and is visible from Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth.

The Coast Guard said it was able to identify the 80-year-old owner of the 33-foot sailboat and is treating the incident as a possible person in the water.

Two Coast Guard vessels, a seaplane and a helicopter along with the Maine Marine Patrol, Scarborough Fire Department and Cape Elizabeth’s Water Extraction Team are searching for the missing boater, who lives in Massachusetts. Anyone with information about the man or his whereabouts is asked to contact the Coast Guard at 767-0303.


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