Four missing boaters found in Florida

ST. LUCIE, Fla., July 19 (UPI) -- A U.S. Coast Guard representative says four boaters missing for days off the coast of Florida have been found safe and in stable condition.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Sabrina Elgammal said the four individuals were found Saturday one nautical mile from St. Lucie, Fla., The Miami Herald reported Sunday.

The four had been missing since Thursday, when they departed from Miami on a sailboat with the intent of meeting friends in Key Largo, Fla.

A search for the boaters began Friday after a family member contacted the Coast Guard to report they failed to arrive as planned, Elgammal said.

The 30-foot sailboat operated by 32-year-old Stanley Shawler was located Saturday morning by a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft. The identities of the other boaters were not reported.

Elgammal told the Herald an investigation was under way into how the boaters managed to find themselves hundreds of miles off course.