The latest report I read in Scuttlebutt says their engine was running, too. This further suggests to me they were maneuvering to join up with another boat. (I would assume they had a generator to run the computers, so why would they be running their engine?)

The only other scenario I can think of besides kidnaping is that they got off course and ran aground on a reef and started their engine to get off the reef and couldn't, so they all got in the water to push the boat off the reef and succeeded but then couldn't get back on the boat because it took off without them, with sails up and engine running. Is that possible in that area?

Were these guys all currently married, or were they single? That information must have been in the news reports in Australia.

Thats the best scenario yet Mary.

It has been said on another forum that the engines were in neutral. Someone said that some boats have a set up that when the batteries run down [because of computer etc left running] the engines automatically start up to charge them. but surely this would only be one engine?

Still hoping for some good news on this one

Paul

Movie script explanation:

The cat left in rough conditions because they had scheduled an offshore meeting with another boat, to buy drugs, board mistresses or whatever. They found the boat, but its crew stole their money (that nobody knew was there), killed them, took the inflatable and would have stolen more, but another boat appeared in the radar screen, so they left.

Luiz

You thinking the wife/wives put out a hit?

No, I didn't think of that. More along the lines of they had a reason to try to escape.

This is terrible to be making light of this when family and friends are grieving for their loss. But I keep trying to think of scenarios in which those guys are still alive.

While out searching for the crew they've now found an upturned cabin cruiser reported missing from Numea years ago. It has barnicles all over it.
regards

When something happens, people want to do something NOW and sometimes do things that are not real smart. Here are some real stories that may be similiar:

One afternoon many years ago a ~35ft sailboat sailed through a College dinghy race on Pensacola Bay with a woman screaming she had lost her crew and didn't know how to sail. Seems one person had fallen overboard and the other 2 jumped in to rescue her. We tracked back and found 3 people clinging to a throwable.

We found 2 people floating in Lake Texana. They were sailing, one fell overboard, the other jumped in to rescue them and the boat sailed away. We left them at the Ranger Station. I don't know if they ever found the boat.

I heard this one so, it may not be true. Some friends were sailing and saw a strange sight. 2 men in an inflatable paddling with their hands trying to catch a sailboat drifting away. Seems they saw something in the water, put the boat in irons, jumped into the inflatable they were towing, raced over and ran out of gas.

Carl

This is the latest I have found on this tragic event. Not much new information.

I also heard that they are holding out little hope of finding the men and may call off the search soon.

Bob

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1905829.htm