The U.S. Coast Guard said that they'll decide Wednesday evening if the search for two missing boaters will continue. "I said yesterday it's a race against time, but it's becoming more acute," Capt. Mark Vlaun said during a noon news conference Wednesday.
Jacksonville fireman Brian McCluney and Justin Walker, a Fairfax, Va. firefighter, were last seen leaving a boat ramp to go fishing near Port Canaveral.
Vlaun said the search is becoming increasingly difficult because of a lack of clues and the Gulf Stream
"Our last known object is approaching two-days old," Vlaun said about the tackle bag searchers found in the ocean that belonged to McCluney. While searchers are still clinging to hope, Vlaun said " ... in the evening we will learn if we can actively search and where."
The next news briefing on the search is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Hundreds of people have searched massive areas in the ocean and to help guide their search grid, Vlaun said floating markers were put in the water. Some of those markers have drifted as far as New England, Vlaun said during Wednesday's news conference.
"The Gulf Stream moves not only what you're searching for, but it moves your search area," Vlaun said. "The area is becoming so large ... we can't narrow it down. We're only in an expanding area and it's an incredibly large ocean." The search area now spans from North Carolina to Florida.
"It's a struggle for all of us," Vlaun said. "As the search continues, we're dealing with a more complex environment. ... We're talking to everybody up and down the coast. Looking for ideas, equipment, special teams we can bring it to aid us in this search," Vlaun says.
Vlaun said volunteer boats and crews shifted their focus Wednesday northward towards Brunswick and Savannah.
Volunteers with boats wishing to head out tomorrow in the Brunswick-Savannah area must call Chief Barrow tonight at 904-813-5315. Volunteers without boats can call 904-763-9747.
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