Lake Forest Boater Missing, Drone Finds His Catamaran Overturned 5 Miles From Shoreline

LAKE FOREST, IL — Search efforts resumed Monday morning for a boater who went missing in Lake Michigan on Sunday afternoon.

The 43-year-old Lake Forest man was reported missing around 2:45 p.m. after he did not meet a family member at the Lake Forest boat launch, 601 Forest Park Road, according to fire officials.

Lake Forest fire crews launched a boat and piloted a drone, which located the man's 15-foot catamaran sailboat overturned about five miles off the shoreline.

But rescue crews were unable to locate the boater, as waves reaching up to six feet hampered search efforts, officials said.

The National Weather Service had issued a gale warning for Lake Michigan, advising mariners to avoid hazardous conditions with high wind gusts and waves ranging from seven to 10 feet high.

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Mutual aid was requested from Highland Park and Libertyville fire departments, as well as from the Wilmette and Evanston fire departments after the boater’s cell phone was pinged near Glencoe Beach.

"Reports from the family member confirm that the boater was not wearing a personal flotation device," fire officials said, "at the time of the incident."

The U.S. Coast Guard dispatched both a helicopter and a boat to assist in the search. Despite the combined efforts of all agencies, including rescue boats and aerial searches, the water search was suspended around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.

On Monday morning, the Lake Forest Fire Department and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit resumed surface searches in hopes of locating the missing man.