Chinese mariner Guo Chuan sails his trimaran under San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the United States, embarking on a solo trans-Pacific voyage with Shanghai, China, as the destination, Oct. 18, 2016. (Photo/Xinhua)
Rescuers sent by the U.S. Coast Guard did not see Chinese sailor Guo Chuan on board his boat, Guo's shore team said on Thursday.
The coast guard used an HC-130 Hercules search and rescue airplane to drop personnel onto Guo's trimaran floating in the Pacific Ocean.
The crew of the USS Makin Island is reported to be assisting the coast guard in its search and rescue operation.
Guo was last contacted just after 15:00 Tuesday Beijing time when his boat sailed 900 kilometers off the west coast of Hawaii. All attempts to contact the sailor have failed.
The 51-year-old Guo was trying to set a solo trans-Pacific world record sailing non-stop from San Francisco to Shanghai.
Guo reportedly kept a diary during his journey, and his entry for Oct 25 noted "plain sailing."
An earlier entry dated Oct 20 said that Guo had been playing a recording of his two young boys' laughter while sailing.
The announcement from the US Coast Guard comes after Chuan's support team said yesterday that they had lost contact with the sailor for over 24 hours.
A search aircraft, sent earlier from Honolulu, found a sail in the water yesterday, broken off from the vessel, but didn't see Guo on the deck.
The plane hovered over the vessel for one hour before returning to the base for lack of fuel.
The U.S. Navy has sent two search ships to the site of Guo's vessel, according to the team.
Guo set sail on his trimaran near the U.S. city of San Francisco on Oct. 19, embarking on a solo voyage to the Chinese city of Shanghai.
Guo, aiming to set a new solo non-stop trans-Pacific world record from San Francisco to Shanghai, piloted his trimaran, the "Qingdao China", west across the start line under San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge. His solo sailing route is about 13,000 km in length and normally expected to be completed within 20 days.
Guo, who has set a world record for a 138-day solo non-stop circumnavigation, told a Xinhua reporter in an earlier interview that the greatest fear as a sailor was to fall in the water.
"I fear being separated from the ship when I am sailing solo," he said.
Guo recalled a brush with death in a 2011 trans-Atlantic race, saying he had survived a fall by grabbing a cable. "I was waist deep in the water. If hadn't grabbed the rope, I would had been thrown in the water. In that scenario, I would never catch up with the ship. My chance of survival would be none."
News of Guo's disappearance sent shock waves across his home country, where millions of his compatriots are praying for his safe return. "Guo Chuan missing near Hawaii while trying to challenge the world record," read a headline on Sina, one of China's largest online portals.
"I am extremely shocked at the news. My hero, please come back safe and sound," said one internet user whose comment was liked 500 times.
"Pray for this very brave man. I hope he can come back safely," said another user.
"Guo Chuan, we are waiting for you!" headlined a public account on the social media app WeChat. The public account "Who most embodies the Qingdao spirit" posted photos from some of the Qingdao native's past adventures.
