BoatBanter.com - Sailboat washes ashore on Bonita beach (Bonita Springs, FL)

Sailboat washes ashore on Bonita beach
By ANNE MARIE APOLLO and NICHOLAS PAUL ALAJAKIS, Staff Writers
August 30, 2005

A sailboat with gas cans and a solar energy panel lashed to its decks washed
ashore a Bonita Springs beach Monday, sparking concern and curiosity of
onlookers.

The vessel, which witnesses said bobbed and weaved its way to land, beached
itself near Beach Access No. 5.

Authorities called to the scene at about 11 a.m. said no one seemed to be
aboard.

"It was not occupied by refugees or anybody," said Lee County Sheriff's
Office spokesman Angelo Vaughn.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Danielle DeMarino said the boat was judged
uninhabited and derelict.

The vessel has been turned over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission, Vaughn said.

Its owner had not been found Monday.

Hickory Boulevard resident Boni Kelly said she thought it was possible the
craft broke loose near Key West and traveled north with Hurricane Katrina.
The boat is visible from her home and she called emergency officials Monday
after watching it come ashore.

Kelly said she watched emergency responders open the cabin only to find no
one inside.

Chris Bielski, president of the Bonita Beach Improvement Association, also
saw the boat bobbing out in the Gulf and said she did not spot any people in
it.

"The boat was acting like it was totally unsteered, unpiloted," Bielski
said.

Among those keeping track of the boat's progress was construction worker
Cruz Quinteros, 32, of Fort Myers. He and other workers first spotted the
boat about two miles off shore at 7 a.m., he said.

The crew, which was working on a Hickory Boulevard home overlooking the
beach, saw the craft slowly make its way to shore, but never saw any
occupants, said Quinteros.

"This is the first time I've seen a boat just (wash) ashore," Quinteros
said.

The unusual event drew onlookers to the beach Monday afternoon, some of whom
crawled atop the sailboat for a closer look.

Some, including Bonita Springs City Councilman Bob Wagner, climbed inside
the cabin.

Taking note of the numerous gasoline cans aboard, as well as food and other
supplies, Wagner said he believed someone had been living inside the boat.

The boat definitely looked like it could be inhabitable, said Naples
resident Jack Salo, whose curiosity also led him into the cabin.

On board, Salo, 54, said he saw various items that could lend themselves to
a longer voyage, including a hot plate, silverware and an outboard motor.
The boat's sails were also tucked away inside the cabin, he added.

The boat's general appearance and lack of a visible registry led Wagner to
say he thought it could have been a vehicle for refugees.

The only marking on the boat read Ciel Bleu, which in French means "blue
sky."

"It has all the earmarks of not being from around here, or even from the
state of Florida," Wagner said.

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Here's the link to a pic of the boat:

http://mas.scripps.com/NPDN/2005/08/29/N-boat130_e.jpg