Jin Chin left from Lynnhaven Inlet about 14. 00 on what was to have been a three-hour fishing trip in coastal waters close to shore. He was reported missing by a neighbor after he failed to return as scheduled. Chin had gone out alone. His small boat was found offshore, its engine still running. Chin 's boat, a 23-foot Robalo called the Formosa, was spotted about 40 miles east of Virginia Beach at 10 a. m. by the crew of a Coast Guard C-130 search aircraft from the Coast Guard air station at Elizabeth City. The commercial fishing vessel Grumpy, which was nearby, was guided to the scene by the crew of the aircraft. When a crew member of the Grumpy went aboard the Formosa, he turned off the engine and secured the vessel. There was no indication of what had happened to Chin , however. Fishing gear and other items were still in place, and there was no evidence that the boat might have overturned or been swamped. It was not clear how far the small boat may have traveled on its own without anyone at the wheel. Chin had no known history of medical problems that might help explain his disappearance.
