Kayaker was on his first trip

A Gurnee man who disappeared Sunday while kayaking on Lake Michigan had just purchased the watercraft and was using it for the first time, police believe.

"We think it was his first time on the lake," Lake County sheriff's police Sgt. Christopher Thompson said Monday.

Walter Doroba, 44, last was heard from about 3:30 p.m. Sunday when he called his wife from the water, Thompson said.

Doroba told her he'd be on the lake for another 20 minutes, but he never came home, authorities said.

Doroba's overturned kayak was spotted about 5 p.m. Sunday, 400 yards east of Waukegan Harbor, authorities said. His life vest and registration were found onshore near the city's ComEd station.

After searching the area with a boat and helicopter, the U.S. Coast Guard stopped looking for Doroba on Monday afternoon.

"We have saturated the search area, four or five times over, looking for him," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Bill Colclough, a Coast Guard spokesman. "(Our) search is over, unless we receive credible information about his whereabouts."

Although the Coast Guard ended its search, the sheriff's office and Waukegan Fire Department continued looking for Doroba. They expect to search again today.

A woman who answered the door at Doroba's home Monday afternoon said the family had no comment.

Anyone with information about Doroba's disappearance should call the sheriff's office at (847) 377-4250.