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Capt Anthony Popiel, 1st Coast Guard District chief of response, said ''utmost efforts'' were continuing to find the crew
The US search for the four sailors on board the yacht Cheeki Rafiki will be suspended if nothing is found by Friday night, the US Coast Guard has said.
The missing men's families said while they were "saddened" by the news, they held "out much hope" that the sailors would soon be found.
It also said an RAF Hercules plane would continue searching on Saturday.
The Cheeki Rafiki was sailing back to the UK from Antigua when it went missing in the mid-Atlantic.
'Sincere compassion'The crew of the Cheeki Rafiki, based in Southampton, are Paul Goslin, 56, from West Camel, Somerset; Steve Warren, 52, from Bridgwater, Somerset; skipper Andrew Bridge, 22, from Farnham, Surrey; and 22-year-old James Male, from Romsey, Hampshire.
The US Coast Guard official overseeing the search, Capt Anthony Popiel, said he had spoken to the yachtsmen's families to tell them the search could be suspended.
"If by midnight tomorrow [03:00 BST Saturday] there are no further developments to indicate search efforts would locate the crew alive we will suspend the search," he said.
He added that he had "sincere compassion" for the families of the four men, and that his "thoughts and prayers" were with them.
Kay Coombes, sister of one of the yachtsmen Mr Warren, said she would not give up hope.
"Obviously we're disappointed, upset," she said.
"However, we're realistic. We know they can't search forever, and we know they can't survive forever out on the ocean. But we've not given up hope yet. So, while they're still searching, there's hope."
The search has so far focused on an area some 1,000 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
About 17,500 square miles of ocean have been covered by planes and boats working on behalf of the US Coast Guard.
Capt Popiel also said his team's focus remained on "this very active and very dynamic search".
International effortThe Foreign Office said the British Hercules C-130 plane would continue scouring the search area "for one more day" on Saturday.
"They will be co-ordinating closely with the US Coast Guard on the search area," it said.
It said the US had "gone above and beyond" in its effort to locate the yacht and its British crew.
The plane, which was deployed on Tuesday to help with the international search effort, was expected to end its search at about 22:00 BST on Saturday, the Foreign Office added.
Families of all four missing men will be updated at another meeting with Foreign Office officials on Friday afternoon.
The family of skipper Andrew Bridge told the BBC they remained "hopeful" and "appreciate everything that is being done".
On Thursday, relatives of the sailors visited the US Embassy and delivered letters addressed to US President Barack Obama, the US Coast Guard and the US ambassador to express their gratitude for the resumption of the search.
Tuesday's decision to resume it followed an official request from the UK government. An online petition, set up to put pressure on the US Coast Guard, had attracted more than 200,000 signatures.
DynamicHopes were briefly raised on Thursday when debris was found in the ocean near where the Cheeki Rafiki is thought to have gone missing, but the US Coast Guard later confirmed that this debris could not have come from the 40ft yacht.
Capt Popiel said it was "not uncommon" to find debris. He said locating smaller items in the ocean indicated favourable sea and search conditions.
But he warned volunteer ships helping out with the search of the "inherent risks" of operating in what was a "very remote region of the Atlantic".
Twelve-person life raftA raft, such as that on board the Cheeki Rafiki, is required to meet the international standard ISO 9650, which stipulates how the craft must be constructed and what it must have on board. The rafts are highly visible and buoyant and can be boarded quickly in an emergency.
At the time of going missing Coast Guard officials predicted the yacht would have been facing 15ft waves, 50mph winds and sea and air temperatures of 15C (60F).
Earlier in the week the Coast Guard predicted that the "estimated survival time" of any crew members was about 20 hours after the last distress call was made.
Locator beacons activated by the crew indicated they were in a position 1,000 miles east of Massachusetts on the morning of Friday 16 May.
A yellow and orange 12-person life raft was believed to have been on board the yacht at the time, and it was thought that the men may have inflated it and climbed on board, but this vessel is also yet to be spotted by rescuers.
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