They say sometimes you should be careful what you wish for. Andrew Connell was wishing his 41 foot yacht could somehow be recovered. He writes about how elated he was when a Dutch rescue plane shot pictures of the boat sailing on it's merry way to Venezuela with no crew on board where it would be found abandoned. Little did Andrew know, perhaps he was celebrating too soon when he got the call advising him the boat had been recovered.
Sure, they found the boat. But what about everything on board? Not much is left. This is from a web page set up to help Andrew recover his boat.
"It's hard to believe what I saw today. They let me go on board today. Only me.They had warned me of the fisherman that stole everything but I had no idea? The boat was covered with black, boot marks, from bow to stern. Fisherman are barefoot, was my thought??? The only things on the boat were the winches and the sails. Everything is totally destroyed or gone. I mean everything. From the anchors to the wire. Every pump, every breaker, compressor, tool, fan, spare parts,fishing gear, refrigeration torn out. Every single light bulb, fixture and fitting. They stole every hose and hose clamp, knife fork spoon and can of food. The boat was completely bare bones except for the floor boards.Even in the smallest of places anything mechanical or of use to these people was gone. Even the halyards. Every bit of running rigging,shackle and blocks. Gone The hole fucking boat is destroyed like it had been in a hurricane.
I was trying to imagine how it happened. I think there must been fights, over who got what. They must have had days to dismantle my boat. It's unbelievably sad, what they did to this wonderful boat. It's very unlikely that I will be sailing it out of here. The hull is a bit battered, but sound and there is a main sail and a jib."
It is enough to break the heart of any sailor. One the one hand, what a great thing to get your boat back after it "breaks free". On the other hand, if the boat is not serviceable, what good is it going to do? Worse, having to fire sale the boat rather than fix it considering it's present remote location could add to a significant loss for Andrew Connell.
Andrew is taking donations to help him with some of the basic systems. You can make that donation here.
Sure, they found the boat. But what about everything on board? Not much is left. This is from a web page set up to help Andrew recover his boat.
"It's hard to believe what I saw today. They let me go on board today. Only me.They had warned me of the fisherman that stole everything but I had no idea? The boat was covered with black, boot marks, from bow to stern. Fisherman are barefoot, was my thought??? The only things on the boat were the winches and the sails. Everything is totally destroyed or gone. I mean everything. From the anchors to the wire. Every pump, every breaker, compressor, tool, fan, spare parts,fishing gear, refrigeration torn out. Every single light bulb, fixture and fitting. They stole every hose and hose clamp, knife fork spoon and can of food. The boat was completely bare bones except for the floor boards.Even in the smallest of places anything mechanical or of use to these people was gone. Even the halyards. Every bit of running rigging,shackle and blocks. Gone The hole fucking boat is destroyed like it had been in a hurricane.
I was trying to imagine how it happened. I think there must been fights, over who got what. They must have had days to dismantle my boat. It's unbelievably sad, what they did to this wonderful boat. It's very unlikely that I will be sailing it out of here. The hull is a bit battered, but sound and there is a main sail and a jib."
It is enough to break the heart of any sailor. One the one hand, what a great thing to get your boat back after it "breaks free". On the other hand, if the boat is not serviceable, what good is it going to do? Worse, having to fire sale the boat rather than fix it considering it's present remote location could add to a significant loss for Andrew Connell.
Andrew is taking donations to help him with some of the basic systems. You can make that donation here.
The Coast Guardsmen wear boots, the police wear boots,,, the natives are probably barefoot and the fisherman probably wear sneakers.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the law on salvage for an unoccupied boat on the high seas not in immediate distress? Fifty percent, One Hundred Percent?
Many expatriats live in Central American countries and report very little difficulty with the natives but tremendous corruption with the authorities.