- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Search continues for man who went missing from sailboat
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A search is continuing on Clear Lake for a man who went missing while sailing on Tuesday evening.
Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said the Sheriff's Marine Patrol is continuing its work to locate Mike Haberski, who is believed to have drowned.
Shortly before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Lake County Central Dispatch sent firefighters to the area of Konocti Bay for a water rescue. Authorities had received a report of an overturned sailboat in the water with a male in the water who was attempting to swim with no life jacket.
Northshore Fire's fire rescue boat from Clearlake Oaks responded along with the Sheriff's Marine Patrol and Kelseyville Fire, according to reports from the scene.
When firefighters and deputies arrived, they reported over the air that they found the sailboat not overturned but adrift about 300 yards offshore, in the middle of Konocti Bay, with no one on board.
The search continued later into the night before being called off, based on radio reports. The fire boat was released shortly before 9 p.m. due to dark conditions after conducting an “intense search” in the area.
Brooks said it's believed that Haberski may have fallen overboard while out sailing.
He said the Marine Patrol is continuing to search for Haberski during daylight hours using side scan sonar.
“We can't put divers in due to visibility,” he said.
As of Thursday evening, Haberski still had not been found, Brooks said.
Haberski is the third person to be the subject of a water search in less than two weeks.
On May 28, 74-year-old James Michael Leale of San Jose and Clearlake Park disappeared into the lake following a boat accident near Anderson Island, with his body found by the dive team two days later.
Then on June 2 Walter Hoertkorn, 69, of Kelseyville was swimming in Clear Lake in the Kelseyville area when a witness saw him begin to struggle and go underwater. His body was found later that day.
Brooks, who has worked with the sheriff's office for more than two decades, said he doesn't remember this many drownings happening in such a short length of time on Clear Lake before.
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