The 54-foot sailboat disappeared off the southern North Carolina coast early on the morning of May 7 in a storm.
"Suspending a search is always a difficult step for the Coast Guard because we understand the impact that it has on the families involved," Rear Adm. Larry Hereth, commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District, said in a press release.
Christine Grinavic is the daughter of Mary and James Grinavic of Cumberland, R.I. Mary Grinavic is principal of Walpole's Elm Street School.
"In the last six days, Coast Guard cutters and aircraft, along with numerous DOD aircraft, searched all of the likely and even unlikely areas where the crew could be. Sadly the threshold of survival seems negligible."
"If we receive any new information or come across any new evidence, we will immediately pursue those new leads," Hereth said.
The Coast Guard received a distress signal at 3:30 a.m. on May 7, and the signal stopped at 7 that morning. The Coast Guard has said the equipment could have been knocked out by the storm.
The Flying Colours, a 54-foot sailboat based in Washington, D.C., was sailing north from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to Annapolis, Md.
Daily News staff writer Greg Duggan can be reached at 781-433-8355 or by e-mail at gduggan@cnc.com.
