After four months at sea, ghost ship with 11 petrified corpses washes up in Barbados

The Guardian (U.K.) ^ | 05/29/06 | Giles Tremlett

[SIDENET]

When does it go to auction on eBay?

Sell for more, or less, with it's grisly history?

Hey, with some of these, it will be as good as new.

[devane617]

another story from a few weeks ago like this. boat went missing in west florida gulf, washed up on east coast of florida, over 550 miles away and almost 6 months later, with one mumified body on board.

[GladesGuru]

"The yacht was unmarked, 6 metres (20ft) long".

From the photo in the next post, that boat looks to be over 35 feet in length.

[Sam Cree]

Thanks for the advice.

I even carry a raft on my 28 footer when cruising the Bahamas - don't want to ever see my family floating at sea in life jackets only. 'Course it goes below deck, since the boat's too small to carry it any other way, plus I don't want it in the way.

I'm at a career change late in life that is important to me. But my buddy and I did go so far as to buy a sailboat to make the crossing - now we don't even have time to use it, either one of us. I think that will change, but I'm not sure it'll change enough to allow time to mount a transAtlantic expedition, which I figure off the top of my head will take 6 months to accomplish between preparations and ancillary journeys, like from Portugal down to the Canaries, then back up to Florida from wherever we make landfall in the Caribbean. Maybe a year if we go both ways.

Anyhow, thanks for your thoughts, time will tell what will happen.

[Sam Cree]

Agreed, if you take one of those guys standing on the bow, his length seems to fit at least 5 times in the length of the boat. That makes her approach 30 feet at least...or if those guys are five footers, no chance, then 25.

[Joe 6-pack]

"another story from a few weeks ago like this. boat went missing in west florida gulf, washed up on east coast of florida, over 550 miles away and almost 6 months later, with one mumified body on board."

I remember a story from 2004 where a boat came back from Cambodia shortly after the Christmas holiday with a cadaver on it that was subsequently nominated as the democratic presidential candidate for that year.

[U S Army EOD]

I met one couple that lived on board about a year before they left. They had rules that they could not bring anything back to the boat. They both continued to work and practiced cruising without even moving the boat. They were extremely well organized when they finally set sail.

Always remember to:

1. Keep the water on the outside.

2. Keep the sailors on the inside.

3. What ever you eat, make sure it taste just as good coming up as it did going down.


PS: Don't try to cross the Atlantic in the winter time like I did.

[ItsForTheChildren]

That's a "yacht?"

[Mordacious]

What did the dog eat for several months while at sea on the deserted ship?

A. Whatever was in the pantry.
B. Bilge rats.
C. Captain Andy and the first mate.

[Mordacious]

There would have been enough flying fish on board to keep the dog alive every morning if they were in the right place

This is why every dog owner should teach his dog to catch a frisbee. It could save his furry little life one day ;)

[U S Army EOD]

Actually this is what has done in many a ship's cat. They have a nasty habit of chasing them over the side about three in the morning.

[capt. norm]

From the photo in the next post, that boat looks to be over 35 feet in length.

Yeah. I guess people have varied impressions of what a yacht is.

The smallest yacht I've ever been on had a LOA of 65 ft and was registered as 75 gross ton.

[capt. norm]

Sources indicated that because of the stench and "mummified" composition of the bodies, it was difficult to assess their ages.

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be detectives. Many a trainee, fresh from passing through the police academy and passing the "police standards" tests, will have serious second thoughts while working the scene of a homicide that has "aged" a bit.

[Cheburashka]

So, someone puts a gun to your head and says 'Climb Everest or try this crossing on a sail board'.
---
I hate when that happens.

[GladesGuru]

That is exactly what Alan Villiers said. "Anything under 65 feet is a life boat."

[Jimmy Valentine]

Mary Celeste Ping!

[brazzaville]

Good morning.

I was doing fine when I left Monterey, but the winds pretty much died right after dark and the most visible point of reference I had was the twin towers of Mordor, er, Moss Landing.

I would have thought the lights of all the small towns along the northern edge of the bay would have been easy to identify, but they weren't. The drift wasn't bad until I came within a mile or so of shore, then the current picked up running east.

Hours later I was able to identify the Boardwalk and navigate off of that. I had no way of measuring the wind, but I would guess that it was no more than a steady 2 knots most of the way.

LOL. I didn't go out of sight of land for a bit after that experience.

I did my Basic and AIT at Ft. Ord and moved to Santa Cruz after I came home the last time. I loved the region but the political climate drove me away.

Michael Frazier

[U S Army EOD]

If you do it again, sail east until you hit something, if anyone is there ask directions. Worked for me once or twice.

[brazzaville]

Good morning.

LOL.

Off to the cemetery. Later.

Michael Frazier