The Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol on Friday suspended their search for a boater whose catamaran flipped in heavy winds earlier this week, saying they believe 25-year-old Richard Keppi did not survive.
Harbor Patrol Waterfront Director John Bridley said the local agency decided to suspend the search for the City College student on Friday afternoon, one day after the U.S. Coast Guard gave up and retired its helicopter. The accident happened on Wednesday night.
“We’ll continue to do some limited searches in the area, but there will be no focused searches,” he said Friday.