Earl Atkinson, 50, was last seen on July 29, 1970, in Avalon, California, after taking his small boat offshore from the Pleasure Pier with plans to have it repaired the next day. He never arrived for the repair appointment.

The boat was later found adrift about 1.5 miles north of Avalon Bay, but Atkinson was never located and is presumed lost at sea. No foul play was suspected at the time and weather did not appear to be a factor; the boat remains the only trace.

Did anyone in the Catalina Island boating community ever hear about Atkinson or his vessel?