20 missing between Fl and Bahamas

[Bradlesh]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9105633/Search-suspended-boat-left-Bahamas-20-board.html

20 people on 29ft Mako. Sad.

 

[ColonyCove]

20 on a 29 ft boat? Sad yes, surprising no.

 

[Woodland Hills]

Suspected human trafficking: no wonder they went on such a crappy day.

 

[Group9]

Suspected human trafficking: no wonder they went on such a crappy day.

Trying to use the waves to not get picked up on radar. Sounds like that part worked.

 

[Mako]

Suspected human trafficking: no wonder they went on such a crappy day.

I was also just thinking that perhaps they didn't want to be found - smuggling or trafficking. Lack of solid info in the article.

 

[healhustler]

Sadly, that kind of boat overloading is pretty common around Miami, although most of them are headed for a sandbar, not across the Gulfstream. 20 persons, sons & daughters, brothers and sisters of somebody.

 

[slowgoesit]

If human trafficking, they may have made it, but just never signed in the the U.S.

 

[caltexflanc]

Somebody called it in when they didn't show up to Lake Worth when expected, and knew the make and model of the boat, so the trafficking concept seems doubtful.

 

[Larry M]

From the USCG web site:

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/2b3b8c1

Coast Guard suspends search for an overdue vessel near south Florida
MIAMI — The Coast Guard suspended its search, Friday, at approximately noon, for an overdue vessel between the Bahamas and south Florida.
Coast Guard District Seven watchstanders received a report Tuesday that a blue and white 29-foot Mako Cuddy Cabin vessel, last known to be departing Bimini, Bahamas, Monday, did not arrive as expected. The vessel and people were reported to be en route to Lake Worth, Florida.

The Coast Guard and partner agencies searched approximately 17,000 square miles, roughly double the size of Massachusetts, for about 84 hours.

 

[Rufus]

Hmmm....smugglers misdirect the authorities resources to offshore Lake Worth and then land a fleet of their boats farther south. Could happen... Probly not...

 

[BandB]

Suspected human trafficking? By whom? By you? Never does the CG state that. They simply state that it could be but even if it was their concern is lives. They had a similar missing boat recently and it ended up having rerouted within the Bahamas instead of their Turks and Caicos destination. None of us know what the deal was with this boat so assigning "suspected human trafficking" to it is just wrong. Whatever the situation, there are 20 lives to be concerned about.

 

[Group9]

If anyone thinks there aren't plenty of people in Miami who will cross over to the Bahamas with 20 people in a 29 foot boat, then you know that they never lived there.

Watch the Haulover Inlet videos on Youtube.

When I lived there, I was in constant amazement that they didn't have a hundred boating fatalities a week.

 

[Tin Man]

Do we know if the crossing attempt was during a "good weather window?"

 

[Group9]

Do we know if the crossing attempt was during a "good weather window?"

I don't think it was. Someone who is down there, on another forum, said conditions on the Stream were not good when they tried it.

 

[OldDan1943]

I hate to sound mean and insensitive but, they did not use any common sense. Even on a good day, 20 people on a 29ft boat is dumb no matter how you look at it.
I doubt if they had enough PFDs for 20 people.
I am betting it was a one way trip to the land where everything is free and the streets are paved with pure gold.
I am getting real tired of people trying to sneak into the US, for all the freebies. We cant take care of those who are here.
Not to worry, I am old and will die soon and then, it will be someone else's problem.

 

[HopCar]

This story was reported in the Miami Herald newspaper today. They used the words Bermuda Triangle or Devils Triangle five times in the story. There was actually a whole paragraph devoted to describing the Bermuda Triangle. It was once a good newspaper.

There is also another small boat with 17 people aboard that has been missing since November. This boat started from Cuba loaded with refugees.

 

[BandB]

Do we know if the crossing attempt was during a "good weather window?"

Yes, we know. It was not.

 

[Arc]

Sister boat

 

[Group9]

We had a nice sport fish boat at our marina, that we saw two Cuban gentlemen on all the time, but the boat didn't have any sport fishing gear on it. They didn't look like they really knew much about boats. I was starting to wonder if it was a drug boat, when one day my Harbormaster told me the mystery had been solved. He had watched it pull up to the slip that morning about 4:00 am and dock. He then watched what he estimated to be 50 Cuban refugees stream off the boat to waiting cars.

 

[Mark P]

With all of these sinkings, does any debris ever wash up on shore?

 

[psneeld]

With all of these sinkings, does any debris ever wash up on shore?

Usually in England or nearby as the Gulf Stream takes it there.....