CORNER BROOK — The search for Richard Crocker continued on Monday, but how long it will go on depends on the weather and the information that comes in.
Crocker, 45, of Meadows left from Summerside in his 24-foot cabin cruiser last Wednesday evening. He was headed for Trout River, but was reported missing by his family on Thursday morning.
A search for Crocker started by Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax later that day had to be called off because of poor weather conditions. Waves in the area being searched were reported at 35 feet.
On Friday the search resumed with Hercules and Cormorant aircraft.
Wreckage from Crocker’s boat was discovered at about 11 a.m. Friday near Sally’s Cove. The Rocky Harbour RCMP also initiated a ground search with the aid of the Bonne Bay Ground Search and Rescue Team. The search ended at about 4 p.m. Friday and the air search ended later that night and the case was turned back over to the RCMP.
Late Monday afternoon, Const. Chris Dawe of the RCMP’s Corner Brook detachment said the search for Crocker had resumed.
“We currently are conducting a joint patrol with DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans),” said Dawe.
He said with the discovery of the wreckage, the air search being called off and a break in the weather on Monday, police felt they should go back out.
A vessel was launched from Rocky Harbour and was conducting a shoreline patrol south of where Crocker’s boat was found in Sally’s Cove.
Dawe said he had not yet received any report from the search and how long it would continue depended on the weather and darkness.
He said poor weather was expected to move into the area again, and how long the search will continue will be assessed as time goes on.
“As long as we have any information that looks positive and we should be out there, then we’ll continue with it,” he said.
Meanwhile, though the official search for Crocker was not taking place in the Bay of Islands, Dawe said there was still some activity there.
“We have some fishermen and boaters that are out there and they’re keeping an eye out.”
Dawe said these people are regularly updating the RCMP as to where they have been looking.
