Drowning victim, wreckage indicate disaster for sailboat

Dascher had been aboard the sailboat Connie B with its owner, John Phillip Stapp, 51, of Seattle, the search crews learned. The two were headed for the South Pacific, said Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Rick Scott, and had stopped in Westport for some repairs before heading out on their long journey.

Later on Friday, a Coast Guard C-130 cargo plane from Air Station Sacramento as well as the San Francisco-based Coast Guard Cutter Aspen - already on its way up the coast - began to look for the man and boat as well.

The three units conducted eight searches on Friday for a total of 12 hours, covering over 1,200 miles, Coloca said. A "reverse drift" modeling system was used to try to track the winds and currents at the time to locate Stapp or the missing boat. Still no sign was found, and the Coast Guard search was suspended late Friday.

Some debris has washed ashore since then, Scott said, leading investigators to believe the vessel must have had some sort of accident. A sink, cushions, and galley items were found Sunday night at the north entrance of the Willapa Bay, Coloca said. A rudder that could have belonged to the Coronado sailboat has also been found, Scott said.

"We're continuing to ask the beachcombing crowd in Pacific County to turn in anything they find that could be from the vessel," he said.

Because the vessel did not have a navigational plan in place, Scott said they'll continue to try and contact family members to see who spoke to Dascher and Stapp last to determine their whereabouts.

One family member did speak to Dascher after they left Westport, and so cellular phone records may even be helpful as well, Scott said this morning.

"We'll be doing all the CSI stuff today," he said.

The autopsy of Dascher's body found she had died from drowning, and there were no signs of foul play, Scott said.