Search Resumes for Missing Boater

Two surviving women in good condition

Search and rescue teams were back out Sunday morning, looking for a man that went missing following a boating accident on Lake Michigan. 

Christopher Gary, 21, has been in the water for more than 36 hours and there is still no sign of him. Crews are using boats and a helicopter in their search.

One of the survivors, Kristin Masterson, 19, remains as optimistic as she can that Christopher is still alive, "If anybody could pull off something as miraculous as being in there for three days almost, it would be him," she tells NBC5's Sharon Wright.

However, Masterson says it is difficult for her to be hopeful because she was in the water as well and it was hard to survive.

Kristin Masterson was released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Saturday.  The second woman, Irene Rogers, was released on Sunday.

The body of a third, 21-year-old James Shepherd, was found late Friday morning.

The four boaters were separated from their sail boat about three miles off shore after going for a swim at around 2 a.m. Friday.  None of the boaters, all said to be in their early 20s, were wearing a life vest, police said.

The swimmers may have been treading water for the better part of five hours before two of them were rescued. 

Initial reports indicate that the boat's motor had been left running when everyone on board jumped into the water for a swim, a source told NBC Chicago

Cannabis was found on the boat, the source said, but there was no mention of alcohol.

Officials said there didn't appear to be foul play, but the Marine Unit police are treating the the area like a crime scene, and the boat, reportedly named the Joan's Arc, was towed into the harbor for an investigation.

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