Woman whose empty boat washed ashore near Nanaimo may not be aware she's considered missing: RCMP

RCMP say they have received many leads but still have no clear picture of what may have happened to a 34-year-old woman whose sailboat was found washed ashore near Nanaimo on Thursday.

Police say the 10-metre white sailboat was found near Bayshore Drive and Hammond Road and is registered to Amber Nitchman, whose whereabouts are unknown.

Const. Gary O'Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP said police aren't certain if Nitchman was on the boat before it washed ashore, and they are pursuing every angle possible.

"This is a missing persons operation," he said, clarifying that is different than a recovery mission, which is what would be undertaken if Nitchman was believed to be deceased at sea.

A two-day scouring of land and sea, led by search and rescues crews, failed to turn up any indication that Nitchman was in the water or off-shore, O'Brien said. He told CBC News the lead in the search has now been turned over to RCMP.

"It could be the premise that the individual has gone someplace and they're not aware they've been reported as missing," he said. "That's just one avenue of the investigation."

He also said the possibility that she is lost in the ocean has not been ruled out, either. 

"There's too many pieces that we're missing at this point ... It's a very active investigation."

Russell Berg, media liaison and advanced crew member with Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue for Nanaimo, told CHEK News crews were out until 11 p.m. Thursday and 4 p.m. Friday, with clear weather conditions allowing for a thorough search of a wide area.

But, he said, even under those circumstances, "it's a big ocean out there."

Police are asking for anyone with any information to contact investigators.