Photo of capsized boat taken from Maersk Kure

In a statement Friday afternoon, the US Coast Guard announced that a U.S. Navy warship helicopter crew located the overturned hull of the Cheeki Rafiki 1,000 miles offshore Massachusetts and within the U.S. Coast Guard’s search area.   A Navy surface swimmer confirmed the name on the boat was Cheeki Rafiki and determined the boat’s cabin was flooded and windows were shattered, contributing to the complete flooding inside.  The swimmer also knocked on the hull and reached an arm’s length below the waterline with no results.

The Coast Guard subsequently announced that the yacht’s life raft was found undeployed beneath the overturned hull, ending hope that the crew escaped the capsize.  As had been previously announced, Coast Guard ended its search on midnight, local time Friday.