knapplc wrote:This sounds bizarrely like the tale of the Marie Celeste.
Funny i was thinking the exact same thing.
Me too.
I remember reading about that story in one of Uncle John's Bathroom Readers when I was younger. One detail that stuck out was that there was a sword with blood on it found under the Captain's bed, which doesn't make sense given the "most likely" explanation put forth by Wikipedia. Also one of the theories was that the ship was attacked by a Giant Squid, which would be by far the most awesome explanation.
The tale of the Marie Celeste has some differing info regarding the "reddened sword." Some accounts have this sword, some don't. I personally think it's sensationalism on the part of the press, but that's just an opinion. The bottom line is the sword is not a hardened fact, it's legend.
knapplc wrote:This sounds bizarrely like the tale of the Marie Celeste.
Funny i was thinking the exact same thing.
Me too.
I remember reading about that story in one of Uncle John's Bathroom Readers when I was younger. One detail that stuck out was that there was a sword with blood on it found under the Captain's bed, which doesn't make sense given the "most likely" explanation put forth by Wikipedia. Also one of the theories was that the ship was attacked by a Giant Squid, which would be by far the most awesome explanation.
The tale of the Marie Celeste has some differing info regarding the "reddened sword." Some accounts have this sword, some don't. I personally think it's sensationalism on the part of the press, but that's just an opinion. The bottom line is the sword is not a hardened fact, it's legend.
Neither is Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, my sole source on this matter.
knapplc wrote:This sounds bizarrely like the tale of the Marie Celeste.
Funny i was thinking the exact same thing.
Me too.
I remember reading about that story in one of Uncle John's Bathroom Readers when I was younger. One detail that stuck out was that there was a sword with blood on it found under the Captain's bed, which doesn't make sense given the "most likely" explanation put forth by Wikipedia. Also one of the theories was that the ship was attacked by a Giant Squid, which would be by far the most awesome explanation.
The tale of the Marie Celeste has some differing info regarding the "reddened sword." Some accounts have this sword, some don't. I personally think it's sensationalism on the part of the press, but that's just an opinion. The bottom line is the sword is not a hardened fact, it's legend.
Neither is Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, my sole source on this matter.
I'm so glad someone else here is a big fan of the Bathroom Readers
That, mental_floss magazine, BeerAdvocate, and "An Underground Education" by Richard Zacks
If you're a battery, you're either working or you're dead....
Love the bathroom reader. Although sometimes I really question some of the stuff they have in there. Some of their "origins of words/expressions" explanations seem a little far fetched among others. Still, it's fun to read and serves it's purpose well.
Also, here's a little more to the story of the missing crew for those who are following it:
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) - The niece of an Australian captain whose yacht was found drifting off the Great Barrier Reef with its sails up and engine running said Tuesday she believes he and his crew may have been kidnapped.
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Police maintain they probably drowned. Skipper Derek (Des) Batten, 56, and brothers Peter and James Tunstead, aged 69 and 63, were last seen April 15 leaving the northeastern town Airlie Beach, the first leg of a two-month trip around Australia's northern coast.
The Kaz II was discovered three days later drifting some 150 kilometres offshore.
Rescuers who boarded the vessel found food and cutlery laid out for a meal and the men's clothes folded in neat piles on the rear deck. A laptop computer was charging, the boat's engines were running and navigational equipment was laid out on the table.
An emergency beacon, three life jackets and a dinghy were also found on board. The yacht's headsail was shredded but there was no other sign of damage.
Investigators who reviewed the boat's global positioning system said it had been drifting with the wind and currents since the day they left Airlie Beach.
On Sunday, police called off an air and sea search for the men, saying the trio were probably swept overboard in rough weather and had likely drowned.
The skipper's niece, Hope Himing, rejected this explanation.
"If it was bad weather why would their fishing line be out? Why would their clothes be piled up?" she said in Brisbane.
"If it was that bad that it would have knocked three experienced sailors off, why wouldn't they have put on their lifejackets? It just doesn't add up for us."
Himing said she believes another boat pulled up alongside the 9.8-metre catamaran and the three men may have been kidnapped.
"The fenders were out on their yacht and the only reason you ever put them out is when another boat comes aside or if you come to rest against a wharf," she said.
"It looks like they've been boarded."
However, police have ruled out foul play, saying there was no suggestion the men's disappearance was anything other than a tragic accident.
Answering questions about the fenders earlier this week, police Insp. Warren Webber said it is not unusual for small-craft sailors to leave their fenders out at sea.
He said there was also no sign the vessel was ransacked.
Queensland police said Tuesday they would reopen their investigation into the men's disappearance if further information came to light.
"My cat's breath smells like cat food." - R. Wiggum
Were these people wealthy? I gather that was not an inexpensive yacht they were sailing, so perhaps the kidnapping story has some merit? I don't know. It's not implausible.
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by knapplc » Mon Apr 23, 2007 11:50 pm 
