Coast Guard searching for missing sailor with ties to Hilton Head Island

Coast Guard crews have been searching since Monday for a Georgia native who was reported missing while sailing from Puerto Rico to Florida on a boat registered on Hilton Head Island, according to a Coast Guard release.

Charles Collins, 68, has been living on the 34-foot vessel for three years, according to the release.

Collins' family contacted the Coast Guard on Saturday to say the mariner left San Juan for Titusville, Fla., on Oct. 15, but hadn't arrived as scheduled. They said he might have stopped in the Bahamas along the way, according to the release.

The Coast Guard has contacted ports in Puerto Rico and Florida, but have found no trace of the missing mariner.

The Coast Guard also apparently assisted Collins in June, when his vessel experienced rudder problems near Boca de Cangrejos, Puerto Rico, according to the release.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Collins is requested to contact the Coast Guard Sector San Juan Command Center at 787-289-2041.