WI Bill Salnick & his 2 children, 3, 5, not returned from sailing trip and boat found, Green Island, Bay of Green Bay, 13 July 2024

[StillDiggin]

OCONTO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The sailboat has been found but authorities are still looking for a missing sailor and his two children.

They say the 32-year-old Bill Salnick from Little Suamico was out sailing and didn’t make it back to his planned destination.

Nobody has been able to make contact with him since Saturday.

He was on the boat with his two children, ages 5 & 3. They were reportedly last seen on Green Island in the Bay of Green Bay.

The U.S. Coast Guard found the boat this morning (Monday) near Chambers Island.

No further information is being released by police at this time.

https://wtaq.com/2024/07/15/search-continues-for-missing-boater-2-children/

**UPDATE**

Due to information collected during the search overnight, there was an indication that they may be on land in the Green Bay area. That information ended up not being correct. The US Coast Guard will continue to lead the search and provide updates. We encourage you to continue to be on the lookout and follow their updates related to the search.


**MISSING PERSON ALERT**

Public Safety Agencies are looking for Bill Salnik (age 32) and his two children (ages 5 and 3) who were last seen sailing an 18ft blue sailboat in Egg Harbor in Door County. Search efforts are ongoing both on the water and on land. It is possible they could be in the Green Bay area. It is unknown what they were last seen wearing. If you have any information or see anything related to their whereabouts please call 9-1-1.

Brown County Public Safety Communications

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02zjt6pMYvxqdRVphkyb3uWKtteBbkaHVuMBypFUJRkwWvBcP64h9tLsSLy7srTERRl&id=100064780835607

Bill put his travel plans on fb, anyone know what the conditions were like on the water?

 

[GraceG]

The weather was pretty nice out until later afternoon when some severe storms moved in quickly (These weren't "pop up" storms but part of a defined system one could see coming for a long ways off if one had means to check current radar.) According to the article linked, they were last seen about 5 pm . Search continues for father, two kids whose sailboat is missing on Green Bay - Door County Shore Report
Radar Data (select the 13th at 22 time to see the radar at 5 pm, and again at 23 on the 13th and 00 on the 14th) to see the movement over the next few hours. I personally wouldn't want to be on the lake in that small of a boat during a storm, especially with kids to watch over, but he was likely pretty experienced and used to the responsibility if he owned the boat. Hoping for the best here, but the boat being found without them isn't a good sign.

 

[CTPDMom]

:: praying::: This doesn't sound good. Being on a boat with two small children and no second adult is a concern.

 

[threesevenninefour]

Sad news…

Search for sailboat finds two children passed away; father still missing

The boat was found south of Chambers Island and is being towed to Fish Creek.

www.wbay.com

Two children were found dead, almost two days after a boating trip turned into a widespread search of the Bay of Green Bay.

Their 18-foot sailboat was found capsized south of Chambers Island at 6:22 Monday morning during a search for the missing boaters. The bodies of the children were found five hours later.

 

[LemonMint]

He bought the boat last fall and took it out for the first time in late April. No idea what he was doing attempting to sail across the bay with two small children and minimal experience. All of this is available on his public fb posts.

Totally preventable.

Does his FB provide info he wasn’t a sailor already before getting his own boat, please…?

I know multiple good sailors who don’t own a boat themselves but do it via their friends/family etc. - that’s why I’m asking.

 

[TTF14]

So tragic. I hope the children didn't suffer .

 

[vls12345]

<modsnip: quoted post was removed>

And apparently he hasn't made it home either. He is still missing, correct?

Eta: According to this article, he is still missing.

Search for family’s sailboat finds 2 children dead; father still missing

Two children were found dead and their father is still missing after they disappeared during a boating trip off the Wisconsin coast.

www.wifr.com

 

[moonriverfarm]

I hope the children were wearing life jackets.

 

[scapa]

This is awful.

I've been sailing since I was a kid, have raced, crewed, taught and coached ever since years on boats from 16 to 88 feet and have my MM card and there are no circs in which I'd have taken my kids out with significant storms looming and seemingly no backup option should things get hairy. Even now they're a bit older we do the whole detailed checklist before setting out.

This was an 18-footer he was essentially sailing by himself, since kids of that age, however willing, aren't going to be able to crew effectively, esp in strong winds / swells and a capsize situation. And trying to manage a boat whilst also working to keep wee ones safe makes things harder still.

I am terribly sorry for family and friends. Just a sad, stark story.

 

[TTF14]

This is awful.

I've been sailing since I was a kid, have raced, crewed, taught and coached ever since years on boats from 16 to 88 feet and have my MM card and there are no circs in which I'd have taken my kids out with significant storms looming and seemingly no backup option should things get hairy. Even now they're a bit older we do the whole detailed checklist before setting out.

This was an 18-footer he was essentially sailing by himself, since kids of that age, however willing, aren't going to be able to crew effectively, esp in strong winds / swells and a capsize situation. And trying to manage a boat whilst also working to keep wee ones safe makes things harder still.

I am terribly sorry for family and friends. Just a sad, stark story.

I know zilch about boats and sailing, but it seems so obvious this guy was not ready just based on his social media posts. His judgment seems way, way off. So very sad.

 

[Inthedetails]

I hope the children were wearing life jackets.

They perished, unfortunately, and were found in the water. Info is upthread.

jmo

 

[lightofmine99]

They perished, unfortunately, and were found in the water. Info is upthread.

I think they meant that they were at least wearing life jackets on the boat. You can still die if you're wearing a life jacket, unfortunately. But if this guy didn't even bother putting life jackets on the two children that is even worse.

 

[outsidecreativ]

Yes.

Does his FB provide info he wasn’t a sailor already before getting his own boat, please…?

I know multiple good sailors who don’t own a boat themselves but do it via their friends/family etc. - that’s why I’m asking.

In his public Facebook posts he posted that he was new to sailing and wanted to take lessons but they didn't start soon enough so he just went for it back in April