Coast Guard searches for missing boater near Kill Devil Hills

The Coast Guard is searching for a 72-year-old boater who was reported missing Saturday while sailing from New York to Florida.

Michael Bye was reported to be sailing aboard his 35-foot recreational vessel, the H.M.S. Me II.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s Fifth District command center were notified at 7:40 p.m., Friday that Bye had failed to make contact at an agreed upon time by a family member.

Coast Guard search-and-rescue coordinators found his last position via cellphone in the vicinity of Kill Devil Hills.

Pictured here is the H.M.S Me II, a 35-foot recreational vessel, reported operated by Michael Bye, currently missing off the coast of North Carolina. (U.S. Coast Guard photo.)

An HC-130 Hercules from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. is currently on-scene searching.

Bye was scheduled to meet a friend in Belhaven, North Carolina, today, but did not arrive. Anyone with additional information regarding this case should contact the D5 command center on VHF-FM channel 16 or at 757-398-6390.

This story originally appeared on OBXToday.com. Read More local stories here.