Modern day Mary Celeste

[ivylass]

Unmanned ship found off the coast of Australia (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6574547.stm)

Table set for dinner, computers and engines running, life jackets on board.

Three missing. Unlike the Mary Celeste, this ship has GPS, so hopefully we can find out what happened.

[Paul in Qatar]

Not hard to imagine. By misadventure, A falls off, B tosses him a rope and is pulled in. C jumps in to save them.

C slaps A and B on the head, "You knuckleheads."

It does say something about how dangerous small-boat sailing is. Even in this day and age.

[meek]

My first thought was, scuba diving accident, but these guys were sailing in a 40 foot catamaran and their ages (56, 63 & 69) diminishes that possibility even further.

So that leaves only...



Pirates
.

[TheLoadedDog]

But there were apparently three [insert nautical name I forget for rubber things used to protect the hull] thingummies slung over the side, which strongly suggests another vessel had come alongside. I think there's more to this.

If you asked me to bet, I reckon I'd put my money on the crew's still being alive, and maybe some sort of fraud scam / faked death, etc. Second possibility is they met with foul play.

[Paul in Qatar]

I used to keep the fenders over the side all the time. Nobody to see them out there and I did not want trip over them.

Pirates would have taken the valuables.

[Bobotheoptimist]

Demons. Happens all the time

Seriously tho, R'lyeh is known to be somewhere east of Australia, is it not possible that Cthulhu awoke, for he did hunger?

[meek]

...
Pirates would have taken the valuables.Picky pirates?

[OneCentStamp]

Picky pirates?
Independently wealthy pirates who just wanted to keep in shape.

[meek]

Independently wealthy pirates who just wanted to keep in shape.
That too... :)

So...

Picky pirates pillaging poor people parked past port, passing on puny profits, pushing patsies off plank... presumably?
.

[ivylass]

I'm thinking shark.

They were fishing for dinner, got a big one on the line, all three of them are trying to pull it in, then yank...flying off the ship the go.

I'm still working on thre shredded sail.

[Marlitharn]

Wasn't there a similar case several years ago, where authorities finally figured out that all the yachters had decided to go overboard for a quick swim, but no one had the forethought to lower a ladder so they could climb back into the boat?

Of course, those giant squid have been a lot more active lately.

[Xema]

I'm still working on thre shredded sail.
Sharks often do that, to throw investigators off the trail.

[Malodorous]

Wasn't there a similar case several years ago, where authorities finally figured out that all the yachters had decided to go overboard for a quick swim, but no one had the forethought to lower a ladder so they could climb back into the boat?

They'd kill the motor if they were going to swin, yes?

[A.R. Cane]

Wasn't there a similar case several years ago, where authorities finally figured out that all the yachters had decided to go overboard for a quick swim, but no one had the forethought to lower a ladder so they could climb back into the boat?

Of course, those giant squid have been a lot more active lately.

You might be thinking of an episode of "King of the Hill".

[David Simmons]

They'd kill the motor if they were going to swin, yes?All three of them would be damned fools to swim at the same time. I didn't read anything about a drag, or sea anchor, and a high freeboard boat will go downwind faster than you can swim.

[Scruloose]

They'd kill the motor if they were going to swin, yes?
Most likely, especially if they were the smart and/or cautious type. What really kills that theory, however, is that the sails were still up.

The shredded sail tells the tale and I'm surprised you folks can't tell what really happened here. This was clearly the work of a giant squid. Or is it giant octopus? I can't remember which one has the affinity for blow-boats

[Marlitharn]

They'd kill the motor if they were going to swin, yes?
You'd think. However, I've learned that there's nothing so :smack: that someone, somewhere, won't do it.

Giant squid still seems like the most logical explanation, though. Or alien abduction.

[RandMcnally]

Giant squid still seems like the most logical explanation, though. Or alien abduction.



I'm going to go with "alien space bats."

[Wile E]

What about an alien giant squid?

[This'll Do]

Re: the shredded headsail. This sail had no boom and was not self-tacking. Since it was untended for a couple of days, perhaps it simply flapped itself to shreds.
I've had a foresail ripped to rags in a couple of hours, though admittedly it was in nasty weather, because I was injured and couldn't make it to the foredeck to clear a rigging problem.
But that's the only part of this mystery that doesn't puzzle me.

[FRDE]

The tender (dinghy) was missing

One theory was that they were moored up and somehow screwed up on putting down the anchor.

The engine was idling, which just means that it was charging batteries.

The sails being up is really peculiar.

I put it down to Sirens :)

[Scruloose]

The tender (dinghy) was missing
The small boat was still aboard the Kaz II. This article has a decent picure. (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007180567,00.html)
Re: the shredded headsail. This sail had no boom and was not self-tacking. Since it was untended for a couple of days, perhaps it simply flapped itself to shreds.
I've had a foresail ripped to rags in a couple of hours, though admittedly it was in nasty weather, because I was injured and couldn't make it to the foredeck to clear a rigging problem.
But that's the only part of this mystery that doesn't puzzle me. That's what I was wondering - if the sail didn't simply shred itself due to nobody attending it. I thought I read that nasty weather had hit the area a day or two before the boat was found.

[Cunctator]

The latest news from this morning's (Sunday's) paper: link (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21599828-2,00.html?from=public_rss)

The authorities don't hold out much hope for the missing men.

[NinjaChick]

That too... :)

So...

Picky pirates pillaging poor people parked past port, passing on puny profits, pushing patsies off plank... presumably?
.
I think I love you.

But this obviously is a case of Cthulu wanting a snack. Nothing more.

[DesertDog]

I put it down to Sirens :)"Them syreens did this to Pete. They loved him up and turned him into a horny toad."

Other than that, I got nuthin'

[Dr. Rieux]

I'm going to go with "alien space bats."
I say Sea Monkeys.

[LucyInDisguise]

Oh, good grief. :rolleyes:

Don't you people keep up on the latest conspiracy theories?

Weren't no stinking Pirates. This is obviously the work of those Evil Illegal Extraterrestrial Alien Space Monkeys wielding 1920's style death rays in shape of Horny Sea Bats. They attacked this vessel because they couldn't locate the Energizer Bunny to jumpstart their disabled starship, even after spending twenty minutes searching the Mariana Trench. Just once, though. Damn sirens had 'em howling so bad that they just couldn't concentrate. 'Course, they wouldn't have run down their battery if they just could have gotten their ship off that damn treadmill.

Jeeezzz ... do I have to figure everything out for you?

:D

Lucy

[Miller]

I think I love you.

But this obviously is a case of Cthulu wanting a snack. Nothing more.

Nah. Cthulhu would have eaten the boat, too.

[NinjaChick]

Nah. Cthulhu would have eaten the boat, too.
I have it on good authority that very few sea monsters find boats tasty. They're quite crunchy and generally lacking in flavor.

[GrrlGenius]

I have it on good authority that very few sea monsters find boats tasty. They're quite crunchy and generally lacking in flavor.

I hear they're good if you add appropriate amounts of mustard, katsup and garlic.

[Rick]

I'm thinking shark.

They were fishing for dinner, got a big one on the line, all three of them are trying to pull it in, then yank...flying off the ship the go.

I'm still working on thre shredded sail.
Sharks don't fight like that. Sharks are just a hard steady pull. No jerking, or darting about. Picture you have your fishing line tied to a car that is in neutral, and you are trying to move the car with your fishing rod. That is how a shark fights. (at least the ones I have had on the line)

I also can't go with swimming. Sails up, and engine running and they decide to go swimming?

Space aliens. It is the only answer.

[Jeff]

Sharks with frigging laser beams.

Mystery solved.

[meek]

Oh, good grief. :rolleyes:

Don't you people keep up on the latest conspiracy theories?

Weren't no stinking Pirates. This is obviously the work of those Evil Illegal Extraterrestrial Alien Space Monkeys wielding 1920's style death rays in shape of Horny Sea Bats. They attacked this vessel because they couldn't locate the Energizer Bunny to jumpstart their disabled starship, even after spending twenty minutes searching the Mariana Trench. Just once, though. Damn sirens had 'em howling so bad that they just couldn't concentrate. 'Course, they wouldn't have run down their battery if they just could have gotten their ship off that damn treadmill.

Jeeezzz ... do I have to figure everything out for you?...

Welllllll... If the Evil Illegal Extraterrestrial Alien Space Monkey Siren Sharks wielding 1920's style death rays in shape of Horny Sea Bats committed a robbery, or any kind of illegal violence at sea, they'd be guilty of piracy, making them pirates. No? :dubious:

The laser beams are just silly. There were no burns on the sails. ;)
.

[Autolycus]

Geez, it's so friggin' obvious people. Clearly The Rapture occured, and those three were the only holy people on Earth. The sail was ripped because one of them got caught on their ascension up so Jesus had to come down with the only pair of scissors in Heaven to cut him free.

[Really Not All That Bright]

But there were apparently three [insert nautical name I forget for rubber things used to protect the hull] thingummies slung over the side, which strongly suggests another vessel had come alongside. I think there's more to this.

If you asked me to bet, I reckon I'd put my money on the crew's still being alive, and maybe some sort of fraud scam / faked death, etc. Second possibility is they met with foul play.
Tires?

[NurseCarmen]

Just a couple observations. No offense to Paul in Saudi, but leaving the fenders over the side when under sail screams "Rookie!" Placement of the fenders changes, so you only use a half hitch or maybe a rolling hitch to tie them in place, not the most secure knot to use while underway in rough seas, unless you have no problems with losing fenders that can run upwards of a couple hundred dollars.

So seeing the fenders over the side had me thinking that another boat must have pulled up alongside them.

But the mystery deepens, because the BBC site has this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6578537.stm) picture that shows their starboard side. Lo and behold. A fender on the starboard side too. Now, I don't know how experienced these sailors were, but seeing that has me thinking that they were inexperienced and did something stupid. The fact that the life raft is missing, but the dinghy is still in it's davits further has me thinking, wtf were they thinking?

Allow me some speculation, because I don't know how these guys were outfitted, but in the US and other places I've chartered, bareboat charter boats have to meet regulations if they are going to be sailing away from sight of land, and that usually means that the life raft they would have would be something like this. (http://shop.sailnet.com/product_info.php/products_id/448) If they were using their life raft to go fishing, they are foolish. They inflate once, then you have to either pay to get them professionally repacked and recharged, or repack and recharge it yourself, which would also be foolish considering their itinerary.

The motor is on and the sails are up. My take is that they were were either taking the sails up or taking them down. I don't think they were charging their batteries, because they have a nice solar array hanging off the back. Everybody is on deck, standing, looking up at the sails and not at the water. A gust, a wave, an unsecured boom (photos show the boom out) And everybody is in the drink. I've only chartered a cat once, I prefer mono hulls, but damn if that thing didn't move in ways I didn't expect sometimes.

A couple issues. this (http://www.boatingoz.com.au/default.asp?Page=21876&MenuID=Sailing%2F13112%2F0) article says the winds were 30 knots and the seas were building. Not the kind of water I'd want to be in a cat on. But If I did find myself in that weather, you can be damn sure I'd be showing a lot less sail than this photo (http://www.sail-world.com/photo.cfm?nid=32904&pid=26337&code=&perid=&flash=9&Width=1920) indicates. I see two unused reef points. Crickey! That wouldn't have been a sailboat, it would have been a bucking bronco!

My take is that they were sailing somewhere protected from the wind, they came out from the lee side of an island and WHAM! All hell broke loose. Remember to do your M.O.B. training early in the trip captains. You never know if you might be the one in the drink.

As for the idling engine and the shredded genoa. A diesel engine could idle for days on a tank of gas. And a sail not under control in high winds could easily get shredded. They make for good news intrigue, but don't add to the mystery much.

[meek]

Talk about far-fetched...

The alien pirates theory is far more feasible.

OK - it's just more fun. ;)

[Ghanima]

Evil, greedy, environment-destroying Corporations did it. To cover up, um, something.

[Count Blucher]

Was the boat called, 'Christine'?