Check this out!!!

Just got this link from a friend....See what you all think

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

Strange circumstances. hope the Guys are ok.

WHY WOULD YOU HAVE FENDERS OUT WITH SAILS UP AND ENGINE RUNNING?

If the boat was boarded by 'pirates' the computers etc would have gone

Hoping for a happy ending.

Scenario: They started the engine to run the generator for the computer. The wind was light so one decides to go for a swim before dinner, he has some type of problem in the water (heart attack, shark, jelly fish??) and needs asistance to get back in the boat, both the others jump in to help, a breeze comes up and the boat sails away, or they just cannot climb back aboard because in their hurry to assist their friend someone forgot to lower the ladder?

ok, so what about the fenders and no life raft? (I don't know if the boat had one originally, but every report alludes to it missing).

Sounds like an insurance job to me, except it didn't run into the reef/island like it was supposed to (like aiming your car at a tree and sticking a brick on the accelerator before hopping out).

Fenders are still out because they were so nervous about it that they forgot to bring them back in after leaving the berth.

Maybe I'm just being rude, I hope they find the crew safe and sound.

After reading some of the news articles about this incident, it becomes apparent that the media really doesn't have a clue about boats!

Everything I have read, it sounds like they did not own the boat, that these three guys chartered it for this trip, so I don't know how insurance is involved. But anything is possible.

If they are found alive, I hope, we will learn what happened. If they are found dead or not found at all, it will be a fascinating mystery as to what happened to them.

Right now the best possibility is that they were beamed up by a spaceship.

Mary:

Funny that's what I told my daughter and Asheligh!!! (LOL)

Doug

Mary, "Mr Batten bought the vessel a week ago,..." It wasn't chartered.

The news articles are really strange and contradictory. In one sentence they say the men may've been washed overboard in a storm, but then they say clothes were found neatly placed on the aft deck, like the crew had gone for a swim!

It sounds fishy to me. I'd be checking the life insurance cover on the 3 blokes and when each cover was taken out.

Nobody would go for a swim with the sails up and not anchored.....would they? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

And there are lots of sharks in that area, aren't there?

The shredded jib is another part of the mystery.

<img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> Pirates of the South Seas <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Good reason to cruise armed.

Was it the "Mary Celeste"? A ghost ship from the 1800's found under similar circumstance. And never explained.

Did the Bermuda Triangle move? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

It sounds like the jib was flogging for a couple of days, which could easily shred it.

I doubt they went for a fun swim the evidence points to a man overboard. Both the main and jib were up but not set and I don’t know anybody who would swim away from there boat with the sails up unless someone was still on board. If were me I would swim off the back if got to hot but would hang onto a rope or ladder and tow slowly behind the boat but never without someone controlling the boat..Perhaps it was man overboard and the other 2 went to assist.

They turn the boat back release the sheets and remove heavy clothing before jumping in and possibly they are holding onto a rope but the current and wind drag them along and tires them out causing them to separate them from the boat. However it does seem strange as there is no safety or floatation gear missing or is there? Can the previous owner recount the exact number of life jackets?...Maybe the investigation will uncover more.. Just as a matter of interest there was another strange incident in Queensland when a few months back a catamaran of similar size washed ashore upturned and battered. It was reported missing in ((2005)) there was no info on its disappearance. Maybe it was stolen but it probably broke its mooring. It was reported to have very rusty engines suggesting it may have been adrift for 2 years..

What was the background experience of these 3? Did they have much sailing experience? That the dinner was laid out, computer running, sounds like they went for a swim and forgot to put a ladder or rope over the side first. It's happend plenty of times before. The only thing that doesn't make sense is the sails were up but maybe they we becalmed, went for a swim and couldn't get back on board.

OR, they faked their deaths, jumped on a buddy's boat, and forgot to put the fenders away first...

The info from the gps suggests the boat went off course in moderate to heavy conditions on the day that they left so the fenders may have been left out and to swim with sails up in those conditions is unlikely..The 3 were experienced sailors, my only thought is they are old guys who could be very tired when trouble struck and even experinced sailors make mistakes in a high pressure situations.. Still it is a bit unusual..

It seems to me that their ages would suggest they have enough experience and wisdom to NOT do something stupid like go for a swim with the sails up or to jump overboard to rescue somebody in the water.

Nope, I think they went to the aid of another boat that appeared to be in distress. They put their fenders out so they could come alongside. And then they were kidnaped by the three beautiful women on the other boat.

The latest report I read in Scuttlebutt says their engine was running, too. This further suggests to me they were maneuvering to join up with another boat. (I would assume they had a generator to run the computers, so why would they be running their engine?)

The only other scenario I can think of besides kidnaping is that they got off course and ran aground on a reef and started their engine to get off the reef and couldn't, so they all got in the water to push the boat off the reef and succeeded but then couldn't get back on the boat because it took off without them, with sails up and engine running. Is that possible in that area?

Were these guys all currently married, or were they single? That information must have been in the news reports in Australia.

Thats the best scenario yet Mary.

It has been said on another forum that the engines were in neutral. Someone said that some boats have a set up that when the batteries run down [because of computer etc left running] the engines automatically start up to charge them. but surely this would only be one engine?

Still hoping for some good news on this one

Paul

Movie script explanation:

The cat left in rough conditions because they had scheduled an offshore meeting with another boat, to buy drugs, board mistresses or whatever. They found the boat, but its crew stole their money (that nobody knew was there), killed them, took the inflatable and would have stolen more, but another boat appeared in the radar screen, so they left.

Luiz

You thinking the wife/wives put out a hit?

No, I didn't think of that. More along the lines of they had a reason to try to escape.

This is terrible to be making light of this when family and friends are grieving for their loss. But I keep trying to think of scenarios in which those guys are still alive.

While out searching for the crew they've now found an upturned cabin cruiser reported missing from Numea years ago. It has barnicles all over it.
regards

When something happens, people want to do something NOW and sometimes do things that are not real smart. Here are some real stories that may be similiar:

One afternoon many years ago a ~35ft sailboat sailed through a College dinghy race on Pensacola Bay with a woman screaming she had lost her crew and didn't know how to sail. Seems one person had fallen overboard and the other 2 jumped in to rescue her. We tracked back and found 3 people clinging to a throwable.

We found 2 people floating in Lake Texana. They were sailing, one fell overboard, the other jumped in to rescue them and the boat sailed away. We left them at the Ranger Station. I don't know if they ever found the boat.

I heard this one so, it may not be true. Some friends were sailing and saw a strange sight. 2 men in an inflatable paddling with their hands trying to catch a sailboat drifting away. Seems they saw something in the water, put the boat in irons, jumped into the inflatable they were towing, raced over and ran out of gas.

Carl

This is the latest I have found on this tragic event. Not much new information.

I also heard that they are holding out little hope of finding the men and may call off the search soon.

Bob

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1905829.htm