The U.S. Coast Guard spent several hours searching for the owner of an abandoned boat found May 29 in East Boothbay. The 16-foot wooden hull boat was reported abandoned floating in the Damariscotta River’s mouth off King Phillip’s Trail around 7:33 a.m. The Boothbay Fire Department assisted in recovering the boat which was found with the engine in an upright position and gear stored inside. Coast Guard officials don’t know why the boat was found without anyone aboard. They don’t know if anyone was aboard or if the boat simply floated away from its dock.

A search ensued for several hours for signs of an operator or passenger. The search concluded around 12:30 p.m. with no signs of anyone found.

“But we were not able to locate an owner. It was a thorough search to make sure nobody had fallen out, but we don’t know why the boat was empty because we haven’t located the owner,” said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Madden. 

Boothbay firefighters tied the boat at Ocean Island. The boat didn’t have any marking or registration which made identifying an owner difficult, according to Madden. Coast Guard officials found a gas can with a name, but haven’t determined who the person is.