Search for B.C. woman underway after sailboat found abandoned

Mounties say Amber Nitchman was reported missing when her 10-metre sailboat washed ashore shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday near Nanaimo. (Handout)

A massive search is underway for a 34-year-old woman after her sailboat was found abandoned on Vancouver Island.

Mounties say Amber Nitchman was reported missing when her 10-metre sailboat washed ashore shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday near Nanaimo.

The boat, called Gypsy Soul, was found unoccupied near Bayshore Drive, north of the city.

Police say an extensive search involving volunteers with Nanaimo Search and Rescue, the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria, the coast guard and the RCMP has been unsuccessful in locating the woman.

Anyone with information related to Nitchman’s whereabouts is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345.