ABANDONED SCHOONER MYSTERY..NO CREW, A HALF-EATEN MEAL AND PILES OF CLOTHES(Mediterranean)

Mirror ^ | 24 Aug 2006 | Nick Pisa

[Marius3188]

A £300,000 schooner has been found floating empty in the Mediterranean - echoing the fate of the Marie Celeste over 130 years ago.

The 66ft twin-masted vessel had no name and no other identification markings.

On board there was a half-eaten meal, maps of the Med, piles of clothes and a punctured dinghy.

The boat was found drifting off the Sardinian resort of Punta Volpe.

Strong currents were pushing it towards rocks and coastguards boarded the vessel just in time and towed it to the port of Olbia.

Officials found a plaque with the name Bel Amica but said that initial checks with shipping registers had found no yacht with that name.

A spokesman said: "It gave the impression of being abandoned very quickly. It could be piracy, we just don't know."

The original Marie Celeste, which was on a voyage from New York to Italy, was found empty and drifting off the coast of Portugal in 1872.

[SlowBoat407]

Pirates? Off Sardinia?

Who knows how long she's been drifting, and from where.

[PeteB570]

The Rapture!

We're still here, Oh My.

[Red Badger]

Bring a box of kleenex.......

[Red Badger]

I love her pizza!.............

[Salamander]

That was one of his famous ESP posts.

[Rb ver. 2.0]

What if some reef diver is now floating around out there somehwere saying "Hey! Where the hell's my boat?!?"

Had that happen once but thankfully the boat had only drifted 400 yards.

[Red Badger]

WELL, AT LEAST YOU ARE!.......I'm OUTTA HERE!......

[Salamander]

Ack!
I watched the trailer.
Talk about your worst nighmares come true.

[bmwcyle]

We are worse souls than I thought.

[Sam Cree]

Yachts don't necessarily have name plates or S/N numbers, but I am fairly sure someone will be able to figure out who made the thing...from there it can be ID'd. Good point about the S/N numbers on the engine.

I'd vote for pirates on this, though why a pirate would remove the name stumps me.

[Red Badger]

I was communicating with the aliens, thank you very much.........secret message to all aliens in Med area:____________________________________________________, and________________________________!".........

[Salamander]

Ummmmmm..........black olives......

[Red Badger]

It will make you angry at the tour operator's incompetance.........

[all4one]

Ghost ship discovered in the Italian waters

A ghost ship was discovered in the Italian waters near the shore. Coastguards spotted a double-mast 22-meter sailing ship cruising around near the Porto Rotondo resort but not giving any signs of life.

The vessel had no name and no flags. It also appeared to be free of any crew members, or any living thing at all for that matter. To add to the mystery Italian media sources reported that ships of this kind are not registered anywhere in Sardinia. And besides, no one has seen anything like it in all Italy.

After searching the ship’s cabins coastguards discovered French maps of North African seas, a flag of Luxemburg, Egyptian food leftovers and a wooden tablet in bad Italian that said “Bel’ Amica” (with only one “l” instead of two), which translates into English as “Beautiful Friend.”

The ship’s appearances point to the fact that it is very old but it seems to maintain ideal condition nonetheless. However, there is no indication that anyone had tried to rebuild the ship.

Link to Article

Bel Amica

Police are investigating the mysterious disappearance of the crew of a 66ft schooner found drifting off the coast of Sardinia. Onboard was a half-eaten meal, maps of the Mediterranean, piles of clothes and a punctured tender.

The yacht, which has no name or other markings, was found drifting off the coast of Punta Volpe, an area regarded as a millionaire's playground. A plaque bearing the name Bel Amica was found onboard but police have been unable to trace the name on the Shipping Register.

Coastguards boarded the vessel minutes before it would have been dragged onto rocks, and towed her back to the port of Olbia. It's not known if the yacht was intentionally abandoned, or whether it may have been subject to a piracy attack.

Link to Article

[ketelone]

Pirates? Off santa barbara? My god, Its brilliant! Noone would ever think of it!

Coming soon to Santa Barbara:


I wonder what the fatcats in their yachts will think of me hauling up against them with this in their faces

[Red Badger]

Pirates?, nah.....murder-suicide or just plain suicide is my guess......wanted to leave a mystery as a legacy.........maybe an old rich guy who was dying of cancer and wanted to end it his way...............

[steveo]

They went for a swim but forgot to put the ladder out.

[Salamander]

Schedule for showings for those interested:
[eastern Dish Network]

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Date Time Channel
Friday, Aug, 25 09:45 PM SHOCe 321
Sunday, Aug, 27 01:35 AM SHOTe 320
Tuesday, Aug, 29 04:10 AM SHOXe 322
Wednesday, Aug, 30 03:45 AM SHOTe 320
Thursday, Aug, 31 11:00 PM SHOCe 321
Friday, Sep, 01 10:00 PM TMCe 327
Saturday, Sep, 02 01:00 AM TMCw 329
Saturday, Sep, 02 01:00 AM TMCw 898
Tuesday, Sep, 05 10:00 PM TMCe 327
Wednesday, Sep, 06 01:00 AM TMCw 329
Wednesday, Sep, 06 01:00 AM TMCw 898

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I hope it's not too awful sad.
[but then I cried over "8 Below".]

[Salamander]

*whew!*

I think they should be out looking for divers now, just in case.

[gridlock]

The Barbary Pirates have operated in that area for the last 400 years. Just because we have not heard from them lately does not mean they have gone away.

In other news: Terror Fears As (Islamic) Radicals Reopen Vital Port (Mogadishu)