What happened to Noel Rubio? Missing Sailor found in Hawaii a month after vanishing at sea

Noel Rubio, a 60-year-old sailor disappeared at sea after departing from Long Beach, California, to travel to Hawaii on his sailboat on December 28. He was found safe and has arrived in Hawaii, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Southwest said in a Facebook post on February 2, 2024.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Southwest, they began looking for Noel Rubio last week and enlisted the maritime community’s assistance in locating a 60-year-old mariner who had been missing at sea for a month.

According to the Facebook post, Rubio, who left Long Beach, California on December 28 on his sailboat Malulani en route to Kaneohe, O’ahu, Hawaii, was supposed to arrive at the location on January 18.

Concerns were raised after the sailor did not make it to Hawaii and had failed to contact his family for 37 days. A month after missing at sea, Rubio finally arrived in Hawaii and made contact with his family. Authorities attributed his disappearance and late arrival to a “slow voyage.”

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Sailor Noel Rubio last made contact via cellphone on December 28 before disappearance

A month after being lost at sea, missing sailor Noel Rubio was found safe in Hawaii. Rubio was found three days after the U.S. Coast Guard sought the maritime community’s assistance in locating Rubio and the sailboat Malulani.

In a Facebook post, authorities said the 32-foot vessel, a Westsail sloop, departed Long Beach, California on December 28 and had a planned arrival date of January 18 to Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu. However, the sailboat crewed by Rubio couldn't make it to Hawaii on time.

The Coast Guard said the only means of communication aboard the vessel was a VHF-FM marine band radio and Rubio had not made contact with his family for nearly a month. Maui reported Rubio last made contact via cellphone on December 28, from south of Catalina Island, California.

In the post, the Coast Guard said they used all available means to determine the sailboat Malulani’s location and urged anyone attempting an open sea voyage to have multiple layers of communication, including a VHF-FM DSC radio. Douglas Samp, a search and rescue mission coordinator in the Rescue Coordination Center Alameda, told Maui News:

“Mariners intending to conduct an open ocean passage are highly encouraged to have multiple layers of communication, including a VHF-FM DSC radio, HF DSC radio, satellite communications and a 406Mhz electronic position indicating radio beacon as the notification of last resort to help SAR authorities locate your position in a time of need.”

While authorities announced via Facebook post missing sailor Noel Rubio was found safe, they did not explain how he was located. The Coast Guard expressed gratitude to everyone who lent their expertise during the search.