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Subscribe to RSSThe boat of a man who was tossed off his vessel in the waters of Nantucket more than three years ago has washed up in Spain. WNBC-TV's Katy Tur reports.
NEW YORK -- As he swam toward the coast of Nantucket, Mass. in August 2008, Scott Douglas, 58, watched his yellow fishing boat disappear, carried away by the swelling surf. He thought it would be the last time he'd ever see the Queen Bee.
But Tuesday, more than three years after Douglas and his brother-in-law were tossed off the boat by a wave, the U.S. Coast Guard called to say the vessel had washed up on the Spanish coast. It was rusty and covered in barnacles, but intact.
"It looks entirely different," Douglas said upon seeing the photos. "That's amazing."
Douglas remembers the water was restless on the day he set out to sea, and the fish weren't biting. He tried to keep the boat stationary, bracing himself as huge rollers crashed into it.
"At all times, it's a very sketchy area," Douglas told msnbc.com. "You wouldn't want to be dumped in the ocean there."
But that's exactly what happened when a rogue wave knocked Douglas and his brother-in-law, Rich St. Pierre, off the boat and into a sink-or-swim fight for survival.
Douglas remembers thinking the water was not too cold. "The only way I was going to survive was just to get started, not tread water," he said.
But swimming didn't come as easy to St. Pierre, 68, who had gone through open heart surgery a year earlier. However, a survival kit containing an inflatable device had been knocked off the boat and floated to St. Pierre's side. It was a miracle, Douglas said, noting that the kit was the only item from the boat in the water with them.
U.S. Coast Guard
Scott Douglas, 58, watched his yellow fishing boat disappear in 2008, carried away by the swelling surf. He thought it would be the last time he'd ever see the Queen Bee.
Douglas swam for about an hour and made it to shore on Smith's Point, a beach off the coast of Nantucket. Dripping wet and exhausted, he walked up to a cabin and asked to use the phone to alert the Coast Guard. Not long after, he saw St. Pierre walking on dry land.
"At the end of the day, it just wasn't our time," Douglas said.
While that marked the end of their ordeal, the Queen Bee's journey didn't end there.
Lt. Joe Klinker, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman, said the most likely scenario is that the boat somehow got across the continental shelf and into the Gulf Stream.
"From there it may drift north off the coast of northern Canada and then east with the North Atlantic currents," Klinker told msnbc.com.
He said it's rare, but not unheard of for an object off the coastline of the United States to drift across the Atlantic to Europe. But a boat? "I've never heard of anything like this," Klinker said.
It's not uncommon, he said, for the Coast Guard to locate derelict ships from Florida off the coast of Virginia, or vessels from Virginia off the coast of Massachusetts, but never in Europe.
The ability to withstand the hardships of the Atlantic has a lot to do with the make of the boat, Klinker said. The Queen Bee is a 26-foot center console fishing boat made by Regulator.
"It probably could have floated for another three years," Klinker said.
The Spanish Coast Guard alerted their U.S. counterpart Tuesday. Based on salvage law, the boat now belongs to Spain.
Douglas, who is now retired and lives in New Jersey, said he doesn't want the boat back. But with four grandchildren, he has thought about turning Queen Bee's story into a children's book.
"It's interesting to see what life takes and gives," he said.
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A fascinating story and a happy ending.
It is really amazing that the boat stayed afloat for three years drifting in the North Atlantic. The North Atlantic ocean, particularly in the winter, is one of the roughest bodies of water on the planet. It is a testament to the quality of the construction of the Regulator brand that this boat managed to stay afloat for so long and through what must have been some severe weather conditions throughout the years.
There once was a guy from Nantucket...
s
What did the note say when they opened it?...oh..wait...
Well, I used to want a bayliner, but I guess I'll have to look into Regulator, if I decide to go for a boat now. Wonder if it's made in USA?
That boat has been TORE UP !!
I'll bet that thing was flipped a hundred times.
.
@ theCavalier, they are made in S. Carolina
Cavalier... they're made in North Carolina...
@Sinister' with a boat that was more than a bucket
Regulator Boats are built by Americans in North Carolina...you don't hear or see that very often!
@Sinister' and jkatze:
He went out for a ride, got knocked off the boat's side, and when they found it 3 years later said *#(k it!!!
...if the conditions were so bad when he set out to go fishing... and the fish were not biting... why did he keep going... that's not even close to being a very big boat!
...who really should have stayed in port, but said _uck it...
JS in SD
If Regulator doesn't toss some money at Douglas and use this in advertisements, they're "missing the boat!"
This could be a great advertisement campaign for Regulator Boats. They should fly to Spain and try to buy it off of them and use it to prove how well built their boats are.
The article says:
So why did they continue with the journey when they noticed that the water was rougher than usual along with other warning indications? It seems that was rather reckless.
Most pieces of "plastic" that big will float for years in the ocean. This is only news because it's a larger piece, while there are literally tons and tons and tons of junk floating in the ocean. Don't be amazed at the life of something made to NOT biodegrade. As someone mentioned before, this boat looks tore up, and has probably been tosses and flipped many times over the years. In the end, it's just a big floating fishing bobber.
Now if they could turn the key and start it, THAT would be a story
Now if they could turn the key and start it, THAT would be a story
For those of you above that asked why they were even out there in the first place, or why they stayed what with rough water, and no bites...
....clearly, you guys aren't fisherman! LOL!!
I'm guessing that the bought had been found more than once and stripped of some of it's hardware.
Actually folks, boats are too big to be built in China or Mexico and shipped to the US. The cost of logistics would well surpass the savings in overseas labor. You can bet that those numbers have already been at the very least looked at. Of course, there is the infrastructure and skillset background as well. Anyone ever heard of a Mexican or Chinese boat manufacturing company? Me neither.
Actually, lots of boats are made overseas and sold here, but luckily, most boats in the US are actually built here.
@seattlegirl, best laugh I've had all week! ;)
Send Seal Team 6 to get the boat back!
This is from the Regulator boat website:
Welcome to the offshore and online community of Regulator Marine, builders of the Finest Offshore Sportfishing Boats and home of The Legendary Ride. Regulators are North Carolina bred and born, tested against the challenging conditions of the Outer Banks, and delivered to locations throughout the U.S. and abroad.
This story will fit right in with "The Legendary Ride". USA USA USA
Jhawke - I think you're making it up as you go along. Pure BS that the cost/logistics is what prevents boats from being an imported product.
Do you realize there is a Chinese company that buys scrap cardboard from the US, puts it on a boat, recycles it in China, and then makes more cardboard so they can package more stuff to sell us? If they can make doing all that for cardboard cheaper than planting and cultivating trees themselves, I think they could make and ship boats too even if the raw materials had to be purchased overseas.
Your cost argument falls apart for it is sure to be true that a pound of boat can sell for much more than a pund of raw wood pulp.
Interestingly enough Spain now claims the boat as to the Salvage Law of the Sea, hmmm thank you Spain so from now on any boat in our coastal waters belong to us as well, that would include Salvor rights to any craft found in international waters or on our coastlines as well, floating or submerged. So do not be surprised when there is a claim of Spanish shipwrecks and by your admission as to the law of the sea, establishing precedence. We thank you.
No lee it doesn't work that way.
Jhawke,
The Flying Tiger sailboat is manufactured in China. It was designed to fit into a 40 ft. shipping container. It is very cost-effective compared to comparable boats.
For some parts of the country, the distance to California and the distance to parts of Mexico are not that different.
BTW, what do *overseas* labor costs have to do with Mexico?
Cool story...Too bad it didn't have a camera on-board...Of course it would have been out of film by now...And it would need solar batteries...Well anyhow...If that boat could talk...LOL
And perhaps just as amazing , he retired to NEW JERSEY
The hulls are loaded with floatation material. It would float for years even if broken up.
Boats are full of Styrofoam.
Same design as a Boston Whaler
Fair winds and following seas to all sailors out there.
Spain can Have it ... I'm sure they'll thank him. Still this is a nice story for Regulator, the boat manufacturer.
I am willing to bet the company that built the boat might buy it from Spain. Think of the publicity they could get from it.
I love his idea of turning it into a children's book. Fascinating story.
two old men and the ocean...or...boat goes remote...
How would the story start... There once was a boat called Nantucket...
Maybe there could be a shark in the story somewhere.
No matter. As long as the boat doesn't get shot and wake-up to find it was all a bad dream and it's still wearing shoulder pads. Because that's been done. (Also, not so much a story for children)
I can definitely see Regulator using this story in some sales literature! "Our boats keep going for years even after you've abandoned them!"
If they don't, they are stupid. I just looked at their site, and what a difference :)
Now THAT was a great story. I wouldn't want the boat back either. Keep it.
Great story.
This was my dad's boat. It's funny, we always joked that it was probably headed towards spain and became a pirate ship or something.
Tough old fishermen - it is great that they survived. How far from shore were they when the wave hit?
i think about a mile if i remember correctly. He wasn't totally sure. There was a small craft warning though so the seas were pretty rough
What was the inflatable device that got washed out? A little inflatable ring? The article mentioned a survival kit, but not exactly what the inflatable device was. Coulda been a beach ball? j/k
Your dad is an idiot.
@mrdifficult : An idiot that was prepared with the right safety equipt. and made it home safe even without his boat..... Lets see YOU try! MrIDIOT
Mrdifficult-3092171, you are suspended for a day for violating rule # 1 of the Code of Honor.
Did Spain just double the size of their navy with this aquisition?
Now THAT"S Funny!
Reminds me of the disastrous maiden voyage of the Mexican navy's first submarine. Everything was going fine until the adobe started dissolving.
Wonder what his insurance company has to say about this.
yep ....you stole my thunder.
If they declared it a loss three years ago . . . nothing.
So if a US boat makes it to Spain is now the property of Spain I guess any Spanish gold found in the water next to the US belongs to us? Thanks for clearing that up Spain.
Salvage law is complex. One distinction is that this was a privately-owned pleasure craft, not a ship of state (literally a piece of the United States). Lost private craft can be salvaged by whoever finds them. The rules are different for military or government-owned vessels. There have been many lawsuits involving lost Spanish gold. Sometimes the salvors win, sometimes the government of Spain wins.
Look up Mel Fisher and the wreck of the Atocha. Both Spain and the US claimed it all. Fisher even offered part of it to the US, but they were greedy. It went to the Supreme Court, and they ruled finder's keepers - Fisher kept every penny (or every ounce of a literal boatload of gold). He now practically owns Key West.
most of that Spanish gold was stolen from indigenous people of the new world who the Spaniards conducted genocide on. funny that they could rightfully claim it in international court.
Excellent point truthseeker. Most people forget (or don't even know) how cruel the Spaniards were to the native americans.
He lost two family members doing it though.
Two? I only remember hearing about his son. Pretty high price.
Wow - I just looked him up again myself. I had no idea he's been dead since 1998. What rock have I been under?
As I have said many times, Spain doesn't have a damn thing they did not steal from someone else. Maybe the Spanish president will make a new state yacht out of it? And they want Odyssey to give up the treasure they worked to locate and find. Lazy bastards. Let someone else do the work and claim it for your own. Can'teven give a man his boat back that made it all the way across the ocean. Dirtbags.
"It's interesting to see what life takes and gives". What a great 'take' on life. I know Mr Douglas personally and it now takes an amazing story that I used to tell and makes it even more so. Another great life lesson we should reflect on even though it didn't happen to us personally.
It's no Marie Celeste, but an interesting story all the same. Derelicts aren't all that unusual. Fiberglass construction with a foam core will still float even if it is filled with water. Boston Whaler proved that 50 years ago. Presumably this model has some kind of built-in positive bouyancy, either foam or sealed voids. Amazing that the outboards are still there. I would have thought they would have sheared or corroded off by now. Wonder if they'll start?!?!?
Great catch (no pun intended) on the outboards.... I didn't even notice them.
I seriously doubt if they'd start.... too much corrosive sea water at work for too many years.
Yeah. I'd imagine that anything aluminum on that boat has got to be turning to dust.
I'm just going to say this now: The Marie Celeste had nine barrels of alchohal missing from its cargo...
The nine barrels you refer to were still aboard. It was the alcohol itself that was gone from the nine barrels -- they were found to be empty when offloaded. Nine barrels would contain about 450 gallons of alcohol. These nine (and only these nine) barrels were made out of red oak, instead of white oak, the wood used to make all the other 1,692 barrels on board. Red oak is more porous than white oak. This has led to much speculation about whether these barrels, if they were leaking alcohol and giving off noxious fumes, caused the crew to panic and abandon ship in haste. It is also possible the crew was afraid of fire or a flash explosion, since two of the pumps had been dissasembled, and there was several feet of water in the bilge (possibly suggesting they were fighting a real or imagined fire or threat of fire, or were deliberately soaking the cargo). We'll never know for sure, which is why Marie Celeste remains one of those enduring unsolved mysteries.
Higher quality boats use stainless steel on many deck fittings and mounts. They would last although still subject to some corrosion.
Chris McK:
What a refreshing post! It is so nice to hear from someone who actually knows their history, instead of all the out-of-work comedians and other wags...
Great post!
Well there, take that to court. Every time a salvage crew finds gold or silver off the coast of the U.S. from an old Spanish ship, the Spanish claim it's theirs. Now they claim since this boat was found in Spain it is theirs. So lay off the salvage divers in the U.S. and keep your newly found pride and joy. Fair trade.
"Berenerd
I am willing to bet the company that built the boat might buy it from Spain. Think of the publicity they could get from it."
That's for sure, you can't buy advertising and publicity like this for a product's toughness. The decks are in pretty rough looking shape, but after being tossed like a cork through 12 seasons in the Atlantic? The outboards are even still there. The engine covers are missing, as well as hatches from the boat's deck, but the hull is in pretty good shape otherwise. It's especially miraculous the boat stayed afloat with the deck hatches gone. It's not like the batteries are going to run the bilge pumps forever. :) (Maybe for the first two or three days)
Regulator should be all over this. BTW, I went to their website, and it's slow - I'm guessing it's getting a LOT of hits right now after this story.
I love this!
I would definitley buy his book for my son. I'm sure he'd love it.
Look at the bright side at; least it wasn't full of Hatians
Great story and idea for a book. But. Do you think its possible if we put a few obstructing politicians on a large dingy platform and set them adrift to another country......and the other country could salvage them and have them? Please.
I knew someone would bring politics into this story...
@Indy - well, at least Justmy53andme injected politics in a humorous way :)
from both parties, please, and a few independents as well.
dingy platform?............Which one of the candidates are running on that?
all of them....
Does this mean he has to give back the insurance money or only part of it?
As with all insurance questions, it depends on the language in the policy. But I would think not. If the boat was reported as lost three years ago, and the insurer accepted the loss and paid out any proceeds, that is probably the end of it. Besides, Spain has acquired title to the boat by operation of the salvage laws. As far as the prior owner is concerned, it is still a loss, even if it was later salvaged by someone else.
Spain won't give this man his boat back, huh? Send in Seal Team 6!
Spain once again taking something that does not belong to them......
Sounds like a good one for an "Alfred Hitchcock"....movie......spooky...
I would imagine that a boat built this well would be used by SEAL Team 6!!
Great story, I knew someone would find a way to throw politics into this.....