The Mexican fishing boat Erik, which sank nearly a year ago in the Sea of Cortez, leaving one person dead and seven others missing, has been found.
The Contra Costa Times reports that the discovery of the 105-foot sportfishing charter boat, positioned vertically on the sea floor, was confirmed by a relative of one of the victims and a survivor.
(The search was spearheaded by family members of one of the lost anglers, Al Mein. Though the vessel was found, divers had not yet been able to get inside to search for bodies.)
"It is bittersweet," Charles Gibson, who survived an ordeal that began in a fierce electrical storm, told the newspaper. "This story seems to never have an ending, and I don't know if it will in my mind and for the families of the missing."
The Erik, whose home port was San Felipe on Baja California's northeastern shore, carried 44 people on what was supposed to be a week-long expedition when it capsized at 2:30 a.m. near Isla San Luis, about 75 miles south of San Felipe and two miles from shore.
Nineteen fishermen -- mostly from Northern California -- and 16 crew members were rescued in a dramatic operation that was launched after the cook, after his rescue by a local skiff fisherman, managed to alert authorities.
Dena Jacinto, Mein's daughter-in-law, told the Contra Costa Times: "We're so excited that we found the Erik. It's definitely a step in the right direction to bring closure to the families."
The discovery of the Erik has been reported to Mexican authorities.
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