NORFOLK — Monday, Nov. 20: A Norfolk man who went missing after going rafting on the Chesapeake Bay was found safe after a 33-hour search by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Wesley Schoonmaker wandered into a person’s backyard near Machipongo Beach on the Eastern Shore on Sunday. The 49-year-old man told officials that he launched his raft from Willoughby Spit and was “immediately” blown from shore, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Schoonmaker drifted on the raft overnight until he was able to reach land on the Eastern Shore. He was taken to Riverside Hospital by medics to be treated for windburn, according to the Coast Guard.
Saturday, Nov. 18: The United States Coast Guard and other agencies are searching for a 49-year-old Norfolk man who intended on going rafting on the Chesapeake Bay and hasn’t been seen since.
Norfolk police alerted the Coast Guard around 5 p.m. Saturday that Wesley Schoonmaker was last seen leaving his home in a full wetsuit, according to a news release from the Coast Guard.
According to the release, Schoonmaker said he was planning on trying out a new oar by paddling his 8-foot raft near Willoughby Spit. The raft is yellow and dark blue.
After issuing an urgent marine information broadcast, the Coast Guard began to search by helicopter and boat. Teams searched throughout Saturday night and continue to search Sunday.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sector Hampton Roads Command Center at 757-668-5555.
