Boat Swept Out To Sea At West End

S/V Dagny in Florida

When we arrived at the Old Bahama Bay Marina on Christmas Eve, we noticed a small inflatable with a 2.5 hp outboard tied to the bulkhead next to us. At first, we didn't give it any mind (why would we?), but after a day or so of it apparently not moving we began to speculate. At first we thought it was from a sailboat that had come into the turning basin to clear customs and promptly departed without staying at the marina. But, that couldn't be, because that boat was long gone now. Mostly, we just thought the owner must feel incredibly confident that the dinghy was secure in the marina and that seemed to be a good sign for security here, over all.

Yesterday, we discovered the sinister truth. As we were on the main road near West End waiting for our conch salad, a van pulled up alongside and a Bahamanian man asked if we were the owners of "that double-ender in the marina." We answered in the affirmative and when we looked inside the vehicle, there was a European man in the passenger seat who introduced himself as Gil.

It turns out that Gil, who owns a 26' Morris Frances -- also a double-ender -- had arrived at West End the day before us. He is a single-hander and was apparently quite exhausted after a long ordeal at sea. He couldn't start his engine and tried unsuccessfully to sail into the narrow marina channel before giving up on that idea and deciding to anchor just outside and dinghy in to clear customs and immigration.

You can read about all this on his blog, but the upshot is that after he'd been ashore for a few hours his anchor dragged and his boat simply disappeared! I was horrified to hear this -- partly for Gil, of course, and partly because I know "there but for the grace of God ..." as they say. It could happen to anyone, really and it's a thought that will no doubt cause me many sleepless nights.

We gleaned a bit of the story during that chat on the road and have read the rest online. We of course promised to be on the lookout for the boat (S/V Dagny), but it's highly unlikely we would spot her on our current route. She has no doubt been swept into the Gulf Stream and drift analysis by Chris Parker puts her somewhere off the coast of St. Augustine, Fl., at least as of yesterday.

Gil -- a Frenchman who has been living in the U.S. for the past two decades -- has nothing. It was all on the boat, save his dinghy/outboard, laptop and the clothes on his back. A local Bahamanian representative of BASRA is helping him with arrangements, but that can't last forever. I emailed Gil and offered to let him stay with us, although we will be leaving soon. He is reluctantly accepting "loans" via Paypal and has put the dinghy up for sale.

Anyone reading this might consider a small donation to help out Gil. Details are on his blog.