August 27, 2025 — Joel Kawahara’s fishing boat, the Karolee, traveled down the coast from Washington toward California waters, keeping a steady course that offered no hint that something had gone terribly wrong.
But when Coast Guard crews boarded the boat this month in Northern California, officials found no one on board. Its captain was nowhere to be seen. Somewhere along the roughly 400-mile journey, the 70-year-old Kawahara was lost.
“It’s a strange case,” said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Steven Strohmaier. “There were no signs of distress, no signs of debris.”