While we’ve been away from Legacy, we’ve been keeping an eye on her. We left the GPS on and we look at her position on Marine Traffic. I was surprised to see her change berths and called the marina to see what was up.
“Nope, still in the same berth as always” was the answer. What’s up?
Here are the results on Marine Traffic over the past four weeks or so…
Possible causes:
Inaccurate GPS reading. This move is within the normal error range of a GPS, but it makes me realize that navigating a narrow channel with GPS alone is probably not a good idea.
Inaccuracies with Marine Traffic. This could be, I guess, but I’d have no way to know.
Error with Google satellite images. I don’t think this is likely with the back and forth movement I’m seeing. I would expect any error to occur when the map is created, not when it’s displayed.
Of these, I think that the first is the most likely. That or our marina manager is taking Legacy out for joy rides and his memory isn’t so good when it comes to putting her away! đ
While other boaters can present occasional trouble, the vast majority of cruising horror stories come from taking on crew; but I must add that in these cases, the danger isnât so much about being harmed as it is about being annoyed. Iâd title the crew-hiring scenario: âAnnoying People Who Appear Normal.â
Any situation which throws complete strangers together into a living situation will inevitably bring clashes. After all, this is where many reality shows get their drama and entertainment value! This scenario is magnified out at sea people where people are together 24/7. Whatâs worse is that boat owners have their own way of doing things which the crew may not be willing, or able, to comply with.
Personality quirks get magnified, as do eating habits, drinking habits, sleeping habits, bathroom habits, decision making ability, meticulousness, etc. Really, bringing people you donât know out onto the ocean with you creates a breeding ground for conflict. Unfortunately, bringing people you know doesnât necessarily solve this issue: in fact itâs been said that if you want to lose a friend, bring them on as crew.
Impossible, annoying, crazy, duplicitous, irresponsible crew stories are so common that itâs amazing no compilation book of these stories exists (at least that I know of). Books like these written by nannies, airline personnel, nurses, celebrity assistants, etc. can become bestsellers and even movies. Such a book containing crew stories would be both horrifying and hilarious, Iâm sure!
Thankfully weâve never needed crew on Legacy, but weâve certainly had people approach us, and a couple of them have been clearly unstable. In New Caledonia, we encountered one young American whoâd planned to hitch a ride on a cruising yacht to New Zealand after finishing his temporary job. The problem: his job lasted late into the season and virtually all the cruising yachts had left. Someone (darn you whoever you are) told him that we were planning to head off soon; so he came by our boat wanting and expecting a ride. Rich patiently explained to him that we are a 2-person boat with one bed and do not take on passengers or crew. All Rich could suggest was that the young man post an ad on the bulletin board as boats do pass through the area late in the season.
The young man, dissatisfied, left, but the next morning he appeared again. This time I was in the cockpit. He marched up and stated, âJust let me sleep on your deck!â For a moment I had no idea who this was or what he was talking aboutâwhy would someone want to sleep on our deck? Then I realized he must be the pest from the previous day. I said no, then had to bark at increasing volume, âNo!â several times as he kept arguing with me and insisting we take him with us. He finally left but was pretty miffed. After that we had to keep our boat locked in fear weâd come home one day to find him inside. It was a huge relief when we finally headed south (after carefully checking Legacy for stowaways).
Note to any Kiwis who donât understand why crew can be a problem: Finding mentally stable, sober, and reliable crew is much easier in New Zealand in that, by law, Kiwis cannot captain their own boats offshore until theyâve actually experienced an offshore passage themselves. Thus, thereâs a lot of good crew available (sailors anxious to get that required passage experience) and on top of that, theyâre able to leave the yacht once it arrives at its destination.
This is perfect for those cruisers who want to deliver their boats to or from the tropics and have their families fly in to meet them. For those of us blue-water cruisers leaving from the Americas (North, Central and South), finding good crew is much more difficult, especially since said crew generally expects to stay with the boat once itâs arrived because cruising, not the passage experience, is often the reason they want to crew in the first place.
Of course the horror stories go both ways, and in fact none of the stories Iâve heard from the cruisersâ perspective have resulted in any fatalities or anything truly sinister. But from the opposite perspective, there are stories of crew and passengers whoâve been hurt or killed as a the result of incompetent or mentally unstable captains. In short, boat owners are far more deadly to crew than the other way around; so this will be the feature subject of this post.
c. Dangerous People Who Appear Normal, Part 2
The worst crew/passenger story weâve heard was that of a young British couple, Peta Frampton and Chris Farmer, traveling around the world.
Peta Frampton and Chris Farmer
Chris and Peta had the misfortune to meet an American named Silas Duane Boston, who had a boat in the Caribbean. Silas probably seemed safe as he was running day trips off Belize and had two sons, age 13 and 12, aboard.
Chris Farmer with Silas Duane Bostonâs young sons.
Silas was making the 150 mile trip from Belize to Honduras and was willing to take Chris and Peta along as passengers. Little did they know that Silas was, in fact, a serial killer who had already murdered his childrenâs mother. When Chris intervened as Silas was beating one of his sons, Silas waited and then took his revenge by murdering the couple and throwing them both overboard. It was many years before this murder was solved, and itâs believed this man has committed other murders since then.
Serial killer Silas Duane Boston
Less drastic but no less fatal was a story we heard a few years ago from friends whoâd been cruising in Fiordland (New Zealand). There were a handful of other boats visiting the area, and two young female backpackers had accepted a ride with one of them. The captain was European and one of those grizzled old salts who doesnât pay attention to weather. He was also known among the other cruisers as a real jerk.
If memory serves, our friends tried to warn the girls about this man, but hey, he was offering a free ride and what an opportunity for them to see a remote area. So the girls went with him even though he was heading out into bad weather, and bad weather in Fiordland is nothing to be trifled with. Sadly but not surprisingly, the boat along with its captain and the girls, was lost in the treacherous waters off that southwest coast.
In our own experience, we were in Samoa when a young woman came up on the radio saying the boat on which sheâd been crewing had an accident and she needed another ride. It turned out she was crewing on a boat with a rather notorious drinker who, in an inebriated state, had tried to anchor overnight off the north side of the island (there are no anchorages in that area because the bays are too reef-strewn). They had ended up on a reef and spent the night there with waves pounding on the boat.
Samoan officials rescued them the next morning and pulled the boat off the reef. Now, they were being towed into the marina. The young woman was immediately offered a ride to Tonga and later got another ride to New Zealand. She was OK but suffered some post traumatic stress disorder after the incident.
We never met her but we did meet the captain sheâd been with, a nice guy but his drinking problem made him an unsafe skipper. Coincidentally weâd met another man in Tahiti whoâd been trying to woo this girl, unsuccessfully, to his boat. That guy was both a drunk and a nutcase; so while sheâd chosen the better of the two, both choices were bad.
The saddest story we know is of the four people who opted to crew on an old schooner called the Nina crossing from New Zealand to Australia. Along with the crew were the captain, his wife and their son. The boat was lost in bad weather during the trip with no survivors.
After reading the report New Zealand issued about the incident, it seems the boat was ill-equipped and not all that seaworthy. In my opinion, even though the captain was experienced, he wasnât careful as not only didnât he hire a weather router (probably because said router would have advised him not to leave when he did), he wrote this statement before they left: âThe Tasman Sea is shooting gales out like a machine gun, living up to its reputation. We are shooting at heading out after the first one this week. No doubt we will be dancing with one or two of them.â Anyone who goes out in any boat, much less an old wooden schooner, with the expectation of âdancingâ with gales on the Tasman Sea is a bloody idiot. I realize that sounds harsh, but itâs frustrating to look at the beautiful faces of that young crew and know their deaths were preventable.
The Nina Owners and Crew
Over the years Rich and I have talked to numerous crew in search of a boat and always try to steer them to trustworthy people. I especially worry about young women as they often end up with male single-handers who are often single-handing for good reason. We actually warned two girls in Fiji not to get on one boat for a planned day trip because it wasnât seaworthy and the captain was a very heavy drinker. Thankfully, while the girls did go talk to him, they didnât end up going anywhere on the boat. This boat eventually sank on a day trip out of the marina, headed to the same place its captain planned to take the girls.
I think one frustration for many of us cruisers is running across these young people who just assume anyone who owns a boat knows what theyâre doing. They get stars in their eyes about making a trip with no thought as to the seaworthiness of the boat, the competency of the captain, or the degree of danger in the trip. They get into a âbeggars canât be choosersâ mentality and are so grateful for a sailing opportunity they wonât look that gift horse in the mouth.
I used to have a fantasy about creating a website where cruisers could anonymously post warnings about dangerous vessels or captains. This site would be for the parents of young people, not so much the young people themselves as they tend not to heed warnings. If I were a parent who knew my traveling child might be looking to crew or hitch a ride on a yacht, Iâd monitor such a website. But alas that will remain a fantasy as I canât see anyone actually creating such a thing, or parents knowing enough to find it.
In the end, all I can think to advise anyone considering hitching a ride on a yacht as unpaid crew (being a professional crew member is a completely different matter), is to remember that while you’re becoming part of a team transporting a boat, that only you can look out for your own best interests.
Itâs human nature that when joining a group, people shift their loyalties to that group. Itâs tempting to put on blinders, but Iâd advise that if your boatâs âteamâ is opting to leave when the vast majority of other boats has deemed a âweather windowâ unacceptable, or someone pulls you aside to warn you about a weather forecast, or problems with the boat, or problems with the captain, to please take heed of the warnings. You can do your own research about the weather or ask another cruiser to explain what theyâre seeing. If you donât want to believe one person whoâs warning you about something, ask other cruisers for their thoughtsâI’m sure you’ll be able to gather multiple opinions on the matter.
For women, make sure whatâs expected of you is clear. Single males are often perfectly capable of delivering their boats themselves but may like female company, especially if that female company cooks and cleans. I donât think I have to spell it out that some guys might want more. Make sure you know before you go, and keep in mind that even when everything seems well and good, some leopards can change their spots when theyâve been drinking heavily.
As for cruisers who want to take on crew, be sure youâre clear on your reasons. Are you doing it for yourself, or to please someone else like a nervous family member or advisers whoâve never done a blue-water passage in their lives? And if youâre trying to ease the watch burden on, say, your female partner, remember that as cook and maid (yes thatâs sexist but itâs the way it usually works), her workload will now be doubled unless you bring on crew who can fix their own food and seem thoughtful and careful (in other words, a clean-up-after-themselves sort of person). Bringing on crew that makes life more difficult for your partner is hardly going to help convince them that cruising is a great thing.
I don’t mean to come off as negative about crew and crewing. Of course sometimes it all works out wonderfully as lifelong friendships are made and existing friendships are strengthened by the shared adventure. I guess my wish for both sides, whether itâs serving as crew or bringing on crew, is that they go into the deal with a clear head. In the end, trouble on one boat can ripple out and affect the cruisers around them, and that’s just no fun for anyone.–Cyndi
Yep, we have a freezer on the boat but it’s tiny. This is true luxury – Frozen Dinners! And an ice maker! This is our freezer here in Kona. We only have about two more weeks of this before we go back to Legacy. Good bye freezer. Good bye ice maker. -Rich
Note from Cyndi: To landlubbers the above photo is no big deal: “Frozen dinners in a freezer, big deal, show us something special.” But to me (us) this is something special. It’s a Christmas miracle, a wonder of wonders, one of the most amazing sights ever! These are delicious, portion-controlled, relatively healthy dinners that when we get hungry, we pop them into the magic microwave oven (another thing we don’t have on the boat) and dinner is ready in minutes! No long shopping trips, no trying to find elusive ingredients for recipes (why is it grocery stores are always out of the exact fresh herb I need?), no promising Rich only 20 minutes more ’til dinner when it’s actually 40.
I’d envisioned doing a lot of cooking in Hawaii as we have a real kitchen, but then I met Mr. Microwave and remembered that we used to love some of Stouffer’s frozen dinners. After finding those, we discovered Amy’s Bowls and Evol, yumbo! Yes, they’re short on vegetables and some nutrients, and when we get back to the boat I’ll be back to preparing more veggies, but for now it’s nice to get a break from cooking and working over a hot stove (we have fruit and unsweetened cereal for breakfast and go out for lunch). Life is good, very, very good! –Cyndi
PS: Oh yea, it’s nice to have some ice cream on hand, too!
To those who ask us if we’re afraid of pirates, I say not in the areas we’re currently traveling, but there are some dangers from other people. (I must hasten to add that these dangers are not all-consuming and nowhere near the threats one encounters from “bad” people while living a normal land-life.)
Aside from bad anchoring practices (last post), here’s another hazard other boaters can present. This one hits home with me because I can be intuitive about potential trouble, potential that my partner might not pick up on. This has caused more than one disagreement between us over the years.
b. Dangerous People Who Appear Normal
In 1974, Malcolm âMacâ Graham and Eleanor âMuffâ Graham sailed their beautiful ketch, Sea Wind, from Hawaii to Palmyra Atoll. Also at Palmyra were Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns, whoâd arrived in a shabby, poorly-provisioned boat named Iola.
Mac and Eleanor GrahamBuck WalkerStephanie Stearns
The following September, Sea Wind returned to Hawaii in the possession of Buck Walker and Stephanie Stearns. In spite of being repainted and renamed, the ketch was soon recognized by acquaintances of the Grahams, and Buck and Stephanie were arrested for its theft. The Grahams, meanwhile, had vanished. Buck and Stephanieâs story: the Grahams had gone fishing in their dinghy and never returned; so they simply helped themselves to their boat.
Eventually Muff Grahamâs remains were discovered in the surf off Palmyra, along with a large metal container that had previously been weighted down and held those remains. Apparently King Neptune decided he didnât like this particular âgiftâ and had tossed the container back onto the atoll, breaking it open. Buck Walker ended up being convicted of the murders of Mac and Muff Graham, while Stephanie Sterns was acquitted (although some believe she must have been an accomplice in the murders).
Thereâs both a book (written by Manson Family prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi) and a movie that depict this story, titled And The Sea Will Tell.
The cast of And The Sea Will Tell: Rachel Ward, Hart Bochner, James Brolin, and Deidre Hall
While things like this happen rarely, they do happen. Thomas and Jackie Hawks were another couple targeted for their boat.
Thomas and Jackie Hawks
In 2004, Thomas and Jackie Hawks were selling their boat and had received a full-price offer from a former “child actor,” Skyler Deleon. In truth, Skyler’s biggest gig was that he’d been an extra on a single episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (a children’s TV show).
Getting a full-price offer plus another 15K for personal items (suspicious in itself) from a guy who’d merely been an extra should have aroused suspicion, especially since Thomas Hawks was a former parole officer and Skyer turned out to be an ex-con. But the Hawks were very anxious to sell their boat so they could move to Arizona and be near their new grandchild, plus they’d been charmed by Skyer’s pregnant wife and small baby. Unfortunately, they really let their guard down.
Skyler Deleon and family.
For the sea trial, Skyler showed up with two friends, one he claimed was his accountant. To make a long story short: The Hawks took the group out for the sea trial and ended up being tasered, bound, forced to sign a power of attorney granting their assets to the Skyler and his wife, then tossed overboard while tied to an anchor. After a long and difficult investigation, the perpetrators were found guilty of murder and sent to prison. Their motive: They wanted to live on the boat in Mexico and run fishing charters.
These are not nice stories, but they do serve as a reminder that evil can reside in ordinary-seeming people. This may seem like more of a problem for wealthy homeowners, people with real valuables and assets vs. the comparatively meager pickings on a yacht. But as cruisers we should remember that we, too, possess something others might see as extremely valuable: a means by which to escape and live freely.
For some who donât know the ocean, they see us as having a home that floats, sails that gather a free source of propulsion, a sea that provides food for the price of a fishing pole and lures, and the answer to the wishful statement of, âLetâs go away and find a beach somewhere.â Those of us who actually cruise know this perception does not match reality, that the sea and wind would just as soon kill you, fish are not so easy to catch, and all beaches are owned by someone. Even if a boat opts not to use AIS (a tracking and identifying system), itâs still visible via binoculars and radar.
On the off chance that a yacht does manage to traipse through one country undetected, the next country officially visited will demand passports, paperwork and accountability for time and, as one young man found out, will not believe that it took the boat eight months to sail from, say, Mexico to Fiji. (The young man I referred to had actually spent months in French Polynesia without bothering to clear in and ended up in a lot of trouble for that in Fiji). Countries cooperate with each other far more than many people realize.
Perhaps more dangerous than psycho cruiser wannabes are the underfunded psycho cruisers whoâve procured a run-down boat (much like Stephanie and Buck Walker), believing at first in the easy dream before realizing they need something better equipped. Thatâs when they might start taking a look at boats they could never afford and fantasizing how those boats might look disguised with a different paint job. Most likely, this scenario would remain a fantasy, but given the opportunity, some people are capable of very bad things.
As for how often problems like this occur, I know that while sailboats are stolen every year, incidents where the owners are harmed are rare. (Note: Iâm not talking about actual piracy here; just boat theft which is not the same as piracy.) Murder is more often a potential than something that actually happens, but itâs a potential I believe we should stay aware of, just as we do when living on land.
I think social-type cruisers can be especially vulnerable here as they donât want to see the bad in anyone. Itâs not the strangers they need to be afraid of; itâs perhaps their new âfriends.â When I feel uncomfortable about a new acquaintance; I let Rich know. He’s come to realize Iâm often right to be wary, even though it’s seldom put to the test as I try to get us away from people who make me nervous.
Occasionally Iâll share my wariness with another cruiser who will assure me a particular person is âharmless.â Personally Iâve found that people whoâve been declared harmless may be so to those making the statement, but not necessarily to everyone else. Iâve had more than one scary encounter with individuals Iâd been assured were harmless.
Over time, Iâve learned to trust my gut over what people say. At the risk of sounding sexist, I think many women have honed (or been born with) good intuition and may be better at sensing trouble. But no matter what a personâs gender, if one person on the boat is more intuitive, it would pay for the other partner to at least take into consideration their discomfort.
Muff Graham had a terrible premonition about the cruise to Palmyra, which is known today because she shared her fear with family and friends before she and Mac left. She was so anxious she was prescribed anti-anxiety medication and even consulted a psychic for reassurance, but it turned out the psychic sensed trouble, too. She did not want to go on the trip, but Mac wasnât deterred and they ended up going. Sadly, her premonition that sheâd die a horrible death came true.
One thought I’ve had: if Muff was so nervous about something bad happening in Palmyra, she must have picked up on the danger surrounding psychopaths Buck Walker and Stephane Stearns. Iâd bet money she asked Mac to leave and he refused, not wanting to change his plans based on an unsubstantiated âfeeling.â He paid for that with his life.
The friends and families of cruisers often worry about pirates; but if care is taken in choosing sailing destinations, the danger of pirates is practically nonexistent. Iâd worry most about the cruisers who are open, friendly, and looking for the best in everyone. These are wonderful qualities, but like a very friendly child or pet, you have to worry about them a little bit more.
One of the many advantages to cruising in this day and age is that itâs easier for those back home to keep track of, and in touch with, their cruising friends and loved ones. And a very good security precaution for friendly types is to have a more reserved, intuitive partner. You just have to be willing to listen to that partner even when theyâre telling you something you donât want to hear.
Trouble like Mac and Muff encountered is extremely rare but does happen. Food for thought. –Cyndi
