Missing charter from Miami Beach...

[SoKeen]

God! This thread keeps getting more depressing. To Charlie: So sorry for your mother. We mothers are never prepared to bury our children.

I will still keep praying for that crew, and their families.... and for you and your mother. (I'll also keep eating tasty foods and sipping margaritas and sailing.)

 

[(Nobody You Know)]

You are a fine son and brother to assist your Mom and visit your older brother. I believe that some day we will all be together again and in a better place. Our prayers are with your brother.

Cancer struck twice in our family this year to two of the females, a 21 year old and a 33 year old. Both had surgery and are doing the chemo thing. Fortunately their prognosis is good. It was scary.

 

[67hat34c]

story just like this in mororboating, several years ago. charter paid cash, showed up late next day to go to bimini. they hijacked the boat, 60-70'hatteras and demanded to be taken to cuba. capt had quick plan and told them they needed more fuel and needed to take short cut in shallow water towards bimini. capt went to tower to drive to spot shallow and asked hijacker to read dept from bridge. capt thought mate was dead so he jumped over board at cruising speed, said he herd the hijacker calling out numbers as the boat was going out of sight,dark out. boat hit a reef. hijackers could not get it free so they went ashore in inflatable. turns out capt and his mate who was not dead were picked up by officials and taken to jail due to their fantastic story. in jail they were put in cell with the hijackers.

Hatteras got stripped while on the reef, very little hull damage, had running gear total loss and total loss of engines.

 

[Sparky1]

Saw on cnn earlier they are all dead and young boy says he witnessed pirates do it but now way do I believe that. What is this world coming to.

 

[jlightonjr]

Here is a link on the latest - this totally sucks my thoughts are with the family and friends:

http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/250894.html

 

[(Nobody You Know)]

Evidently 4 innocent people were murdered. It sucks big time.

 

[Passages]

There is nothing, absolutely nothing positive that came come from this. A young husband & wife plus two buddies snuffed out for what?

Sometimes life is just not fair.

I have no problem frying the bastards - but it still doesn't set things right.

Sad

 

[SKYCHENEY]

So, what really happened and why? The new story doesn't really give any motive of the guys who hired the boat to kill the crew. Plus it doesn't really prove that anyone else was actually involved. And....why was a perfectly good boat left abandoned?

 

[Angela]

Lots of interesting questions...still unanswered...was the stolen cash found on the liferaft with the thief? I wonder how much time had passed since the theft of the cash and the hiring of the charter. But what makes NO sense is why a boat like that would not be taken by the phantom hijackers who allegedly killed the crew and set the passengers free. If that story was really true, why would the hijackers not kill the remaining 2 as well? And if the boat had been come up by pirates, why were all the valuables left? What's the point of pirating a boat if you're not going to steal the valuables?

Guilty, I say!

 

[Passages]

Ang,
You're trying to look at this rationally where there is no rationale.

Obviously, the thief is no master criminal. Just an implusive thug with no regard for human life.

Maybe a small lesson to come from this is for you Ang. When you start taking passengers for hire, remember that some may have something other than rest & relaxation in mind. Be careful.

 

[Angela]

Maybe a small lesson to come from this is for you Ang. When you start taking passengers for hire, remember that some may have something other than rest & relaxation in mind. Be careful.

From the first post I read, I keep thinking...that could be me. I also keep praying that my parents don't get wind of this story. They worry about the simple things like sinking, getting lost, and hurricanes (they are not boaters); they don't need this running through their minds.

This event will certainly have me reconsidering some parameters. We never planned to take folks to the Bahamas. We would pick up there, but that's not the real issue...a charteryacht can be hijacked anywhere, even in Biscayne Bay. I wonder if they make "pocket EPIRBS" that can be activated without anyone noticing? Sort of like the silent alarm at a bank.

 

[MarioG]

Angela, as horrendous and Haynes this crime is. thankfully, statistics show that this kind of crime is really rare especially around here. just be wise and vigilant that is all...

I pray for those victims and their families.

 

[doc g]

Kinda crazy when you know Bimini is 46 NM from Miami. Why would someone be willing to pay approximately 4 times your full day charter price for a one way ,two hour ride ??? Should have raised some eyebrows at the old charter office. I feel really bad for thier kids and family ,such a waste.......Pat

 

[Passages]

thankfully, statistics show that this kind of crime is really rare especially around here. just be wise and vigilant that is all...
QUOTE]


Mario's right. The risk is probably similar to getting carjacked, but that does not keep us from driving.

Precautions might include not taking cash, require references or a deposit at least 1 week ahead of departure, and have a plan for any 'surprises' along the way.

Firearms are not a good idea unless you are trained.

The first mistake the crew of Joe Cool made was not following their instincts and accepting an offer that sounded suspicious.

 

[(Nobody You Know)]

I wonder if they make "pocket EPIRBS" that can be activated without anyone noticing? Sort of like the silent alarm at a bank.

I wonder if, as long as the captain or mate is at the wheel, would activating the DSL distress switch on the VHF alert the Coast Guard, and also give coordinates if interfaced with the GPS?

On another note, it probably has not been ruled out that the captain and crew could have been in on some kind of scheme with the "passengers" (allowing that there has been no mention of them having any previous record of vice).

BTW, I don't know the distance the boat ran after leaving Miami but could it have ran out of fuel (wouldn't need a full tank to run to Bimini and back).

What a mystery!

 

[doc g]

Ang, they do make PLB's which is basically a pocket EPIRB. I would think they'd have an EPIRB onboard also ,but who knows............Pat

 

[Pascal]

re price... yes it's a little on the high side but fgure 60gph..5 hours round trip... $1000 in fuel plus $300 clearance fee in bimini... Many 50/60 foot charters go for $2000 a day around here so considering the fuel, time, etc... it's a little high but nobody knows how it happened. Maybe that was the price the captain asked for a last minute booking and he got it.

The fuel situation is a little unclear, the cousin or uncle was on TV saying they filled up the boat that morning, did a morning charter and were left with around 500 gal when then left for bimini... They ran about 200/250 miles... 25 kts ? 60 gph ?

Angela, i wouldn't worry, this is really a one of a kind incident...

Being a case of cold blooded murder, i dont' think anything could have save the crew, not even personal epirbs.. Activating the DSC distress function is supposed to alert the CG but i dont' know if they are monitoring that channel yet... not sure

 

[Jaxfishgyd]

In the past 10 yrs, there have been a couple of dozen boats stolen in the N. Fla/ S. Ga area.

ALL have been boats that can cruise at 25+ knots. No one wants a SLOW boat like you and I have......

Bottom line is.... Trust your gut feeling.

 

[Karl]

I may be in the minority here in my opinion, but I think the captain should have smelled that his was not right and looked for answers from the Coast Guard or Homeland Security before he agreed to the charter. If it were me, I would have been suspicious of a 19 year old kid giving me $4,000 in cash for a one way ride. By apparently not questioning this, the captain put himself and his crew in harms way. This is not a new situation in south Florida, similar situations have happened before with disasterous results.

Many years ago, I had two unsavory looking characters in a row boat row close to my boat asking for water. I did not allow them to get close to my boat, but tossed them a plastic container with water and that was it. Maybe they were OK, but I was not taking a chance. I've had other instances in my boating career that were scary and had to take evasion action; one needs to be smart about these things when boating off the Bahamas. The captain should have know better.

Karl

 

[Captned]

I saw a report earlier today that said 200-250 high power CC's have been stolen (or tried) down here (from FT. Lauderdale down to the keys) this year so far. I think the article was in the Miami Herald yesterday or today...They suspect they were stolen for runs to Cuba to smuggle people...

Tomorrow at 10:00am is the bond hearing for the two scumbag killers. We should get some more info then.

Captned