'Ghost yacht' found off Australia
 

Emergency services in Australia have launched a search for the three-
man crew of a yacht found drifting off the North Queensland coast.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6574547.stm

- Dennis Jay
Annapolis, MD

'Ghost yacht' found off Australia
 

On Apr 20, 9:17 am, Redsky wrote:
Emergency services in Australia have launched a search for the three-
man crew of a yacht found drifting off the North Queensland coast.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6574547.stm

- Dennis Jay
Annapolis, MD

I don't think I'm alone as a sailor in having an almost pathological
urge to understand why things go wrong. To that end, I'm curious what
more-experienced cruisers think about this. Here are some links with
different views of the boat and a bit more detail:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...697042357.html

David
Durham, NC

'Ghost yacht' found off Australia
 

Redsky wrote:

Emergency services in Australia have launched a search for the three-
man crew of a yacht found drifting off the North Queensland coast.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6574547.stm

- Dennis Jay
Annapolis, MD


I saw that story on Yahoo this morning also.
According to the story, the motor was running, a
laptop was on, and there was dinner set on the
table. The three crew were missing. How odd.
The Aussies have towed in the Cat and recovered
the GPS to look at where it has been.

Trying to think of possible scenarios:

1) Drug rendezvous off the coast went badly, and
crew were kidnapped or killed.
2) MOB and the rest of crew fell in during rescue
attempt?
3) Falling out among the crew. Murder & suicide?

Hmm...

Don W.

'Ghost yacht' found off Australia
 

Don W wrote:

Redsky wrote:

Emergency services in Australia have launched a search for the three-
man crew of a yacht found drifting off the North Queensland coast.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6574547.stm

I saw that story on Yahoo this morning also. According to the story, the
motor was running, a laptop was on, and there was dinner set on the
table. The three crew were missing. How odd. The Aussies have towed in
the Cat and recovered the GPS to look at where it has been.

Trying to think of possible scenarios:

1) Drug rendezvous off the coast went badly, and crew were kidnapped or
killed.
2) MOB and the rest of crew fell in during rescue attempt?
3) Falling out among the crew. Murder & suicide?

Hmm...

Don W.

And the one the families are hoping for:

4) 3 guys went fishing in the dinghy, and the
yacht drifted away while they were on the beach.

Don W.

'Ghost yacht' found off Australia
 

On Apr 20, 11:44 am, Don W
wrote:
Don W wrote:
Redsky wrote:

Emergency services in Australia have launched a search for the three-
man crew of a yacht found drifting off the North Queensland coast.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6574547.stm

I saw that story on Yahoo this morning also. According to the story, the
motor was running, a laptop was on, and there was dinner set on the
table. The three crew were missing. How odd. The Aussies have towed in
the Cat and recovered the GPS to look at where it has been.

Trying to think of possible scenarios:

1) Drug rendezvous off the coast went badly, and crew were kidnapped or
killed.
2) MOB and the rest of crew fell in during rescue attempt?
3) Falling out among the crew. Murder & suicide?

Hmm...

Don W.

And the one the families are hoping for:

4) 3 guys went fishing in the dinghy, and the
yacht drifted away while they were on the beach.

Don W.

I was thinking 2). Some of the things that struck me as odd include: 3
bumpers hanging on the port life line, 1 on the starboard; the RIB is
on davits and the motor is still attached; there appears to a reef in
the main, but the genoa looks fully deployed (broken furling line?);
no evidence of life-raft mounting points; the cunningham is either
broken or was being used as a preventer; and does anyone know what the
gray, rectilinear enclosure over the transom might be?

'Ghost yacht' found off Australia
 

On Apr 20, 12:36 pm, wrote:
On Apr 20, 11:44 am, Don W
wrote:



Don W wrote:
Redsky wrote:

Emergency services in Australia have launched a search for the three-
man crew of a yacht found drifting off the North Queensland coast.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6574547.stm

I saw that story on Yahoo this morning also. According to the story, the
motor was running, a laptop was on, and there was dinner set on the
table. The three crew were missing. How odd. The Aussies have towed in
the Cat and recovered the GPS to look at where it has been.

Trying to think of possible scenarios:

1) Drug rendezvous off the coast went badly, and crew were kidnapped or
killed.
2) MOB and the rest of crew fell in during rescue attempt?
3) Falling out among the crew. Murder & suicide?

Hmm...

Don W.

And the one the families are hoping for:

4) 3 guys went fishing in the dinghy, and the
yacht drifted away while they were on the beach.

Don W.

I was thinking 2). Some of the things that struck me as odd include: 3
bumpers hanging on the port life line, 1 on the starboard; the RIB is
on davits and the motor is still attached; there appears to a reef in
the main, but the genoa looks fully deployed (broken furling line?);
no evidence of life-raft mounting points; the cunningham is either
broken or was being used as a preventer; and does anyone know what the
gray, rectilinear enclosure over the transom might be?

Some additional info:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...=null&offset=0

'Ghost yacht' found off Australia
 

Don W wrote in news:VJ4Wh.1390$H_.16
@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net:

2) MOB and the rest of crew fell in during rescue
attempt?


I noticed there was no mention of lifelines or harnesses on deck. 2 seems
pretty likely, if this is true. Of course, too, the weather wasn't rough
enough to throw that laptop to the deck and no mention was made of the
inside of it being scrambled like our boat looks every time it gets really
rough out there.

Pirates could have been covering their tracks, but wouldn't pirates STRIP
the boat of an expensive laptop, electronics and anything else they could?

3 seems unlikely. Those are usually laying dead on the deck next to the
pistol. No mention of weapons or holes from weapons.

Larry
--

'Ghost yacht' found off Australia
 

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Don W wrote in
news:VJ4Wh.1390$H_.16
@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net:

2) MOB and the rest of crew fell in during rescue
attempt?


I noticed there was no mention of lifelines or harnesses on deck. 2 seems
pretty likely, if this is true. Of course, too, the weather wasn't rough
enough to throw that laptop to the deck and no mention was made of the
inside of it being scrambled like our boat looks every time it gets really
rough out there.

Pirates could have been covering their tracks, but wouldn't pirates STRIP
the boat of an expensive laptop, electronics and anything else they could?

3 seems unlikely. Those are usually laying dead on the deck next to the
pistol. No mention of weapons or holes from weapons.

Larry
--

A giant clam jumped up on deck and ate them.

'Ghost yacht' found off Australia
 

"KLC Lewis" wrote in
et:

A giant clam jumped up on deck and ate them.



Isn't Australia famous for its Great White Sharks?

Larry
--

SoCal Sailor Missing
 

A 61 year old sailor from Phoenix with 30 years sailing experience is
missing.

The boat, reported to be anything from 25-30 ft, washed up on the
rocks at the mouth of the harbor off Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach),
holed and sunk in 30 ft of water in less than a minute.

Sailor has not been found, but he had a dinghy with him.

Departed from Cabrillo Harbor in San Pedro headed west to Santa
Barbara; however, Corona Del Mar is about 40 miles southwest.

Have been getting extreme weather, including high surf warnings for
almost a week.

Why he left safe harbor to venture out into those conditions is unknown.

It is times like this when I'm reminded of one of Murphy's laws:

DON'T F**K WITH MOTHER NATURE.

Lew