Boat missing in the Gulf of Mexico

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Boy, six days with no contact, doesn't sound good. Relatively well experienced too. When we bought our boat in Newport, RI we thought about running over to Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. We were ultimately shipping the boat to South Dakota and who knows how life goes, we thought we might never have that opportunity again. My friend and I are pretty experienced with boats, we've chartered in the PNW together so we're not completely green. And the boat ran perfectly for three days of shake down time around Narragansett Bay, zero problems. But it was around 32 NM to Martha's Vineyard and 64 NM to Nantucket in open water and the boat was still new to us, so we finally decided to take the safer course and took a right at Pt. Judith and headed into the Sound and New York City instead. At times I still regret not being bolder and missing those other destinations, but situations like this reassure me it was probably the wiser course with an untested, new-to-you boat. Hope they're found, but six days...
 
Hard to believe that they would set out without an epirb or some sort of satellite communications. Especially with a new boat. Wonder if they were run down.
 
Is that a commercial fishing boat? We had 50+ knot winds come though here a few days ago. There has not been a peep on the local SW Florida news channels, TV and radio. I'm sure there have been many broadcasts on Ch 16, but outside of that, zippo.
What if they changed their minds and went down to the keys and around? There are no search patterns shown down there. I'm sure the CG checked there.
 
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Looks like it was commercial at one time. Looks like a Downeast style from the stern. They were taking it home to personalize for pleasure use.
 
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I'm sorry but I can't praise their experience when they sat out in the type weather and seas we were having, with no Epirb or other communications, in a boat new to them. I do hope they're found well, but sure don't feel good about it.
 
Hmmmm.......

Peter Cook, the son, was facing trial in South Carolina on charges of trafficking marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and four counts of possession of a stolen firearm. Berkeley County Sheriff's Office Drug Enforcement Unit in South Carolina raided what it called a "major marijuana grow house" on May 23, 2018, arresting Cook and three others. The agency reported seizing 136 marijuana plants, roughly 34,000 grams of marijuana, 18 gross grams of marijuana wax and 818 gross grams of marijuana, along with roughly 23 rifles and pistols, four of which were reported stolen.
 
Maybe they turned right fr Mexico instead or are drinking rum in Cuba.



Its happened before....:)
 
firstbase said:
Hmmmm.......

Peter Cook, the son, was facing trial in South Carolina on charges of trafficking marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and four counts of possession of a stolen firearm. Berkeley County Sheriff's Office Drug Enforcement Unit in South Carolina raided what it called a "major marijuana grow house" on May 23, 2018, arresting Cook and three others. The agency reported seizing 136 marijuana plants, roughly 34,000 grams of marijuana, 18 gross grams of marijuana wax and 818 gross grams of marijuana, along with roughly 23 rifles and pistols, four of which were reported stolen.
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Hmmmmm, just a legitimate business venture if in CA, CO, WA, Canada or Bernie land.
 
sunchaser said:
Hmmmmm, just a legitimate business venture if in CA, CO, WA, Canada or Bernie land.
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As you have seen the state was slow to take this one to trial. They do not give out a lot of time for this anymore. The gun charges, if he didn't know they were stolen, could be dropped. The pot charges, very little jail, lots of probation and house arrest.

In Florida that is all he would get... He is in the Carolina's, makes some difference but not enough.

I can not see this guy running from a case like this.
 
What if he pissed off feds?
 
psneeld said:
What if he pissed off feds?
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Feds would only be interested in the guns, 4 guns are not enough for them, they are avoiding pot now days.

No that I think about it, the only reason I can see him run would be to spend time with dad, dad is up there in age. If the guy has priors, he would not get off the gun charges. He could be looking at 3 to 4yrs.

But no priors, claiming not to know the history of the guns and pointing out the guy who sold them to him. He is looking at minor jail time, house arrest and probation.

Please do not think I condone these activities!!!!! I just help in defending these idiots from time to time...
 
Have the Feds really backed off that much???...the USCG within the last 2 years were still warning boatowners against even personal use amounts on boats.
 
firstbase said:
Hmmmm.......

Peter Cook, the son, was facing trial in South Carolina on charges of trafficking marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and four counts of possession of a stolen firearm. Berkeley County Sheriff's Office Drug Enforcement Unit in South Carolina raided what it called a "major marijuana grow house" on May 23, 2018, arresting Cook and three others. The agency reported seizing 136 marijuana plants, roughly 34,000 grams of marijuana, 18 gross grams of marijuana wax and 818 gross grams of marijuana, along with roughly 23 rifles and pistols, four of which were reported stolen.
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Excuse my ignorance of law enforcement but how was this dude permitted to leave South Carolina?
 
If I'm playing around with a large scale drug operation (well, larger than personal recreational use), I'd be far more worried about my fellow "businessmen" and deals gone bad than law enforcement.
 
There were 23 rifles and pistols of which 4 were stolen. It doesn't say if the other 19 were legally owned, registered. Could be all of them have issues of some sort. They did confiscate all of them. Just an odd series of events.

If I were going to take off and hide from anyone, much less the police, I don't think I would choose a bright yellow downeast style fishing boat. Unless I had 50 cans of black spray paint.....:)
 
kthoennes said:
If I'm playing around with a large scale drug operation (well, larger than personal recreational use), I'd be far more worried about my fellow "businessmen" and deals gone bad than law enforcement.
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Witness protection?
 
Boat said:
Witness protection?
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News on them has gone silent. USCG called off the search last week I believe and then...nothing. Generally down here in Florida missing boaters get all sorts of coverage during the search and after. Not this one.
 
firstbase said:
News on them has gone silent. USCG called off the search last week I believe and then...nothing. Generally down here in Florida missing boaters get all sorts of coverage during the search and after. Not this one.
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That part is especially curious, isn't it?
 
No debris, no diesel fuel slick? Nothing? It didn't make it from PC to St Joe? Bright green and no one saw it? It does smell fishy.
 
firstbase said:
News on them has gone silent. USCG called off the search last week I believe and then...nothing. Generally down here in Florida missing boaters get all sorts of coverage during the search and after. Not this one.
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Had sufficient coverage here.

I used to see that boat all the time in St Andrews Marina here. I always thought it odd in a low-slung kind of way. It was painted Navy gray and of low freeboard. I do not know if it was the elder Cook I spoke to once, but he said it had been an Army boat of some sort. When we spoke years back, he was working on the aft deck on big hunks of Detroit when I ambled by. The boat had a couple of half-pipe rub rails welded to the sides farther forward, VERY beefy suggesting some form of work boat heritage, but I am certain it was a liveable vessel when I saw it. In one of the articles linked, there was a larger photo from astern which gives an indication of the raised pilothouse on the boat with reverse angle windows on three sides. There was a door down on the main deck on stbd (and maybe also port) side of the deckhouse right under the pilothouse which I imagine had a ladder/stairway to the pilothouse. Other entrance to the interior was aft on the main deck. If it flipped, I could see difficulties in finding a way out of there. I saw it last at Miller Marine around the corner from me a few months back. It was gray. I wonder if the yellow color on the hull was simply something in the way of primer, and they didn't care too much as they were headed out to get it refit in Carolina.
 
The local TV station did a update on this story yesterday. Apparently this fellow is on the run from the law, and perhaps this was all a false flag to have LEO looking in one direction while he went in another.
 
Captain Max said:
The local TV station did a update on this story yesterday. Apparently this fellow is on the run from the law, and perhaps this was all a false flag to have LEO looking in one direction while he went in another.
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Welcome aboard!
If this was an intentional distraction, who gets the bill?
 
"It doesn't say if the other 19 were legally owned, registered."

In most states "registration" of most guns is not required.

Machine guns and silencers, registration is required.

Many folks believe registration is the first step in confiscation , ask Beto.
 
Yes, some people do believe that but not going to thread drift off into gun control! This guy doesn't strike me as a vintage gun collector so who knows about what he had or why. Nah, I bet we could make a real close guess on the "why".

This story had a stink to it from the beginning. Now we know the rest of the story. Or at least some of it.
 
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