According to the band’s management company, Scott and two traveling companions were sailing south on the 37-foot boat November 30. The wave hit the craft at approximately 4:30 p.m. Smith’s friends were below at the time and returned to the deck to find Scott missing and the boat’s steering wheel gone as well.

A helicopter arrived on the scene within 20 minutes but conditions were considered too dangerous for it to remain. A Coast Guard cutter continued the search in heavy fog and high waves but the effort was halted about five hours after the Coast Guard received the initial mayday.

The helicopter search of a 133-square-mile area resumed the next day but did not find any sign of Smith. His family and friends coordinated a private search to no avail.

Smith was one of Loverboy’s founding members and had been with the Canadian band since its inception in 1980.