Find Our Fathers's

Dear Sir or Madam:

We are the family and friends of the passengers who are still missing from the fishing boat Erik when a storm capsized the vessel Sunday at 2:30 a.m. in the Sea of Cortez. The 7 men missing are Donald Lee, Albert Mein, Gene Leong, Russell Bautista,  Shawn Chaddock, Mark Doland and Brian Wong.

The Mexican government and Mexican navy are still putting forth a search and rescue. Mexican navy Capt. Ruben Bustos said Tuesday that a 96-hour search is usually their protocol to rescue people. After that, their search typically turns into a recovery of bodies, though officials have said that the warm weather and water temperature may help the missing survive.

The families were told that the search would end after 96 hours even though prior boating accidents in the area have convinced them otherwise.
Water temperatures in the area where the boat capsized are relatively warm -- 80 degrees -- a factor that the Coast Guard and Mexican navy said could prevent hypothermia, one of the biggest threats for capsized swimmers.
With fear that the search-and-rescue effort would soon shift to recovery mode family members and friends of the missing men contacted members of Congress to request assistance in getting officials in Mexico to extend the search beyond that limit.

The family asked for help from Yee's office after Mexican authorities failed to provide answers about the search's progress. The Mexican navy requested the Coast Guard's assistance in the search Monday morning. State Sen. Leland Yee and family members representing three of the seven missing fishermen -- Donald Lee, Albert Mein and Russell Bautista -- gathered in San Francisco this on Wednesday July 6,  2011to provide an update about search efforts.
"We urge the Mexican authorities to continue the search," he said. Although Mexican authorities told Yee's office that the search would continue beyond 96 hours, Yee said they did not cite a specific length.
Please sign this petition to encourage the Mexican Government and the US Coast Guard to continue and expand their search beyond the 96 hours if needed. We DO NOT want this search to end. We are trying to push the Mexican Government to send either their own diving crew or U.S. divers.  As of now the Mexican Government does not want anyone else to get involved in the dive.  Please help support to continue search and rescue efforts and the safe return home for these husbands and fathers.
NEWEST UPDATE AS OF 7/12/11This is crazy...the US government is stopping the search and denying divers to search the sunken boat...its going to cost the families $300,000 to get their own divers to search the boat..what's going on????  Please help us push the US government to send their divers to search the sunken boat.  Thank you.


Family members of four of the missing Bay Area men have organized a Facebook page, Find our Fathers