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Friends holding out hope for missing NC man after boat washes ashore along Azores island

A boat belonging to a man who's been missing for months has washed ashore along a Portuguese Island.

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By
Keenan Willard
, WRAL eastern North Carolina reporter
CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. — A boat belonging to a man who's been missing for months has washed ashore along a Portuguese Island.

The Carolina Beach Police Department was contacted by authorities in São Jorge Island, Azores, Portugal after a 2006 Clearwater boat washed ashore. Sgt. Colby Edens, with CBPD, said the boat showed heavy barnacle buildup and algae, which is "indicative of it being capsized at sea for quite some time."

"No other fluids or survival equipment, or anything like that, was located with the boast," said Edens.

"[The boat] arriving in Portugal showed that the ocean took it the way it wanted to."

The boat is believed to belong to 44-year-old Joseph Matthew Johnson, who was reported missing on Nov. 27, 2021, and has not been heard from since Nov. 22 when he left on his fishing boat.

"Carolina Beach Police Department did obtain surveillance video from the 22 of November, which showed Mr. Johnson leaving the Federal Point Yacht Club where he resided in that boat in question — the 2006 Clearwater," said Edens. "Our detectives pinged his cellphone, which showed a last ping on that same date off the coast of Bald Head Island."

Friends said Johnson planned on going for a fishing trip when he disappeared.

"[Johnson] invited me to go fishing with him several times. He invited me to go that day that he lost," said Johnson's friend Tom Aberle.

Aberle and his wife, Sally, said they were going out of town for Thanksgiving when they received the invitation.

"He went on his own, obviously, and we got back that Saturday and that's when everybody started putting two and two together and realized Joe had never come back ... he had gone on two previous fishing trips in the weeks before and gone to the exact same spot," said Tom Alberle.

"The sad thing is, we would have all noticed him missing if it hadn't been the Thanksgiving holidays," said Sally Alberle. "A lot of people were out of town so it was five days before we even knew he was gone."

Portuguese authorities are helping Carolina Beach police in gathering evidence to find Johnson. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons database was key in helping Portuguese authorities contact Carolina Beach officials.

"Our next stab after being in contact with [Portuguese authorities] is to issue a yellow notice through Interpol, in case any international authorities come in contact with Mr. Johnson," said Edens.

The Alberles said it's likely Johnson encountered rough seas during his trip.

"He was pushing the envelope .. but he was an avid seaman," said Tom Alberle "It would have been tough in the water temperature at that time of year for anybody I think to survive in that type of condition."

"We held out hope. You always hold out hope, especially somebody in the special forces who had that survival training. I know his mother holds out hope," said Sally Alberle.

Friends said Johnson had moved to the area to be closer to his son.

"It's just hard to see his boat still in the marina and his car still in the parking lot. You look over there and just the unknown of not knowing what happened to him and hoping he's in a better place," said Sally Alberle.

Authorities ask if you have any information about Johnson that may be helpful in their investigation to contact 911 or the Carolina Beach police department at (910) 458-2540.

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