https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ocean-surival-stories--7194305
From shipwrecks and stranded sailors to lost boats, maritime emergencies and extraordinary rescues, these stories explore the decisions people make when survival depends on what happens next. Every ordeal reveals how quickly conditions can change, what survivors endured while waiting for help, and how some found a way back when the odds seemed impossibly small. But when land is nowhere in sight and rescue may never arrive, what do you do next?]]>enDocumentary© 2026 OBOMEDIA Creatorshttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/259dab8c8f03acd5f0d5c46157f73e58.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ocean-surival-stories--7194305Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:03:46 +0000Creator at ObomediaCreator at Obomediacreators@obomedia.comSo, imagine heading out to sea expecting to come home a few hours later… and then everything goes wrong. The boat disappears, the weather turns, supplies begin running out, and suddenly there’s nothing around you but open water. Ocean Surival Stories...
From shipwrecks and stranded sailors to lost boats, maritime emergencies and extraordinary rescues, these stories explore the decisions people make when survival depends on what happens next. Every ordeal reveals how quickly conditions can change, what survivors endured while waiting for help, and how some found a way back when the odds seemed impossibly small. But when land is nowhere in sight and rescue may never arrive, what do you do next?]]>false5db2a755-12eb-5314-9f4d-9d7972272ec0episodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/flare-on-a-wellhead-how-two-men-vanished-then-came-back--73079164
A sealed orange-and-black flare canister, thick with barnacles, was found perfectly balanced on a locked inland wellhead cap 1.5 miles from open water - an impossible object that arrived with no tracks and no storm surge. How did marine debris travel into a gated property, and what connection does that single canister have to a night when two men disappeared at sea and then returned?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine maintenance route where Karen Collins discovered the flare to the offshore emergency that began four days earlier; the story traces the Cass Meridian, its owner Ken Jensen, crewman Brett Alonso, and the failed equipment that set events in motion. What gap between reported and actual location turned a solvable rescue into a mystery?

Person: Karen Collins
Person: Ken Jensen
Person: Brett Alonso
Date: September 15, 2022
Location: Coburn Island well site

- The flare canister was discovered on September 19, 2022, sitting on a wellhead cap 160 yards from the nearest tidal creek.
- The well site was more than 1.5 miles from open water and had shown no storm surge in over a year.
- Ken Jensen, age 44, lived aboard the 42-foot catamaran Cass Meridian and had owned it for six years.
- At 00:12 on September 15, 2022, Ken smelled burning fiberglass and found the secondary battery bank running hot due to a crimped connector.
- Ken activated the EPIRB at 00:17, but the device’s last GPS fix was 11 minutes older, leaving the transmitted position about 0.8 nautical miles from the actual fire location.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079164Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaFlare On a Wellhead: How Two Men Vanished Then Came Back A sealed orange-and-black flare canister, thick with barnacles, was found perfectly balanced on a locked inland wellhead cap 1.5 miles from open water - an impossible object that arrived with...
A sealed orange-and-black flare canister, thick with barnacles, was found perfectly balanced on a locked inland wellhead cap 1.5 miles from open water - an impossible object that arrived with no tracks and no storm surge. How did marine debris travel into a gated property, and what connection does that single canister have to a night when two men disappeared at sea and then returned?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine maintenance route where Karen Collins discovered the flare to the offshore emergency that began four days earlier; the story traces the Cass Meridian, its owner Ken Jensen, crewman Brett Alonso, and the failed equipment that set events in motion. What gap between reported and actual location turned a solvable rescue into a mystery?

Person: Karen Collins
Person: Ken Jensen
Person: Brett Alonso
Date: September 15, 2022
Location: Coburn Island well site

- The flare canister was discovered on September 19, 2022, sitting on a wellhead cap 160 yards from the nearest tidal creek.
- The well site was more than 1.5 miles from open water and had shown no storm surge in over a year.
- Ken Jensen, age 44, lived aboard the 42-foot catamaran Cass Meridian and had owned it for six years.
- At 00:12 on September 15, 2022, Ken smelled burning fiberglass and found the secondary battery bank running hot due to a crimped connector.
- Ken activated the EPIRB at 00:17, but the device’s last GPS fix was 11 minutes older, leaving the transmitted position about 0.8 nautical miles from the actual fire location.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1185falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/sailor-wades-ashore-after-eight-days-adrift-the-lisa-harris-survival--73079163
Hungry, exhausted, with two cracked ribs and nearly no water, Lisa Harris walked out of the spartina grass after eight days adrift - and the life jacket clipped to her boat held a hand-drawn map and a note that told rescuers exactly where not to look. An EPIRB that should have sent an immediate distress signal never activated, and a vessel sighted her while underway but kept sailing; how did a marine biologist survive when the equipment meant to save her stayed silent?

In this episode, we narrate the day-by-day breakdown of what happened from Lisa’s departure to her return, covering the storm conditions, equipment failures, and the choices she made alone at sea - and we ask how those choices intersected with the unanswered question about her emergency beacon.

Person: Lisa Harris
Date: August 8-16, 2019
Location: Georgia Bight / near Little Tybee Island
Vessel: 26-foot sloop named Crestline
Injuries: Two cracked ribs

- Lisa cast off at 7:40 AM on August 8, 2019, with a yellow life jacket clipped on the port rail.
- The first knockdown occurred at 2:17 AM on August 9, with a second knockdown 83 minutes later that fractured two ribs.
- On August 9 the port engine failed due to a fuel line working loose, leaving the boat adrift about 40 miles offshore.
- VHF handset had a hairline fracture reducing transmission range to roughly one mile, so radio calls went unheard.
- Jeff Mott, a kayaker, found Lisa at 8:50 AM on August 16 sitting in spartina grass near Little Tybee Island; her EPIRB had never transmitted.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079163Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaSailor Wades Ashore After Eight Days Adrift: The Lisa Harris Survival Hungry, exhausted, with two cracked ribs and nearly no water, Lisa Harris walked out of the spartina grass after eight days adrift - and the life jacket clipped to her boat held...
Hungry, exhausted, with two cracked ribs and nearly no water, Lisa Harris walked out of the spartina grass after eight days adrift - and the life jacket clipped to her boat held a hand-drawn map and a note that told rescuers exactly where not to look. An EPIRB that should have sent an immediate distress signal never activated, and a vessel sighted her while underway but kept sailing; how did a marine biologist survive when the equipment meant to save her stayed silent?

In this episode, we narrate the day-by-day breakdown of what happened from Lisa’s departure to her return, covering the storm conditions, equipment failures, and the choices she made alone at sea - and we ask how those choices intersected with the unanswered question about her emergency beacon.

Person: Lisa Harris
Date: August 8-16, 2019
Location: Georgia Bight / near Little Tybee Island
Vessel: 26-foot sloop named Crestline
Injuries: Two cracked ribs

- Lisa cast off at 7:40 AM on August 8, 2019, with a yellow life jacket clipped on the port rail.
- The first knockdown occurred at 2:17 AM on August 9, with a second knockdown 83 minutes later that fractured two ribs.
- On August 9 the port engine failed due to a fuel line working loose, leaving the boat adrift about 40 miles offshore.
- VHF handset had a hairline fracture reducing transmission range to roughly one mile, so radio calls went unheard.
- Jeff Mott, a kayaker, found Lisa at 8:50 AM on August 16 sitting in spartina grass near Little Tybee Island; her EPIRB had never transmitted.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1158falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-lifesaver-wet-boat-how-one-ring-wrote-his-survival-story--73079162
The dry life ring hanging on a post at Kellner Beach at 6:40 a.m. was bone dry while everything else nearby was wet - a single, inexplicable detail that changed a multi-agency search and led to a man surfacing alive after nearly six hours in the Gulf. How did a fifty-four-year-old charter captain survive five hours and fifty-three minutes in open water with no life jacket, no emergency beacon transmitting, and a capsized thirty-one-foot boat lost to the dark?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from a calm night that turned violent in twenty minutes to the precise choices that kept James Vaughn alive, and how one dry ring redirected the search nineteen miles away. What did the ring, the storm, and Vaughn’s decisions reveal about survival at sea?

Person: James Vaughn
Age: 54
Boat: 1986 Bertram, 31 feet, named Carol Ann II
Location: Kellner Beach docks / Gulf of Mexico, 38 miles offshore
Time in water: 5 hours 53 minutes

- At 6:40 a.m. on July 10, a fifteen-year-old girl found a life ring hanging on a wooden post near the Kellner Beach docks; the ring was bone dry.
- Vaughn left the Kellner Beach dock at 9:15 p.m. on July 9 with no float plan, no clients, and no one expecting his return.
- Around 11:50 p.m., the wind and swells changed in roughly twenty minutes, producing six-foot swells that rolled the Carol Ann II and threw Vaughn into the water at approximately 11:58 p.m.
- The EPIRB tore free during the capsizing, fell into the bilge and remained dry and silent, transmitting no distress signal.
- Within two hours of the girl's discovery of the dry ring, search-and-rescue assets were redirected nineteen miles west, and Vaughn was later found and taken to a hospital in Chiefland.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079162Thu, 01 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Lifesaver, Wet Boat: How One Ring Wrote His Survival Story The dry life ring hanging on a post at Kellner Beach at 6:40 a.m. was bone dry while everything else nearby was wet - a single, inexplicable detail that changed a multi-agency search...
The dry life ring hanging on a post at Kellner Beach at 6:40 a.m. was bone dry while everything else nearby was wet - a single, inexplicable detail that changed a multi-agency search and led to a man surfacing alive after nearly six hours in the Gulf. How did a fifty-four-year-old charter captain survive five hours and fifty-three minutes in open water with no life jacket, no emergency beacon transmitting, and a capsized thirty-one-foot boat lost to the dark?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from a calm night that turned violent in twenty minutes to the precise choices that kept James Vaughn alive, and how one dry ring redirected the search nineteen miles away. What did the ring, the storm, and Vaughn’s decisions reveal about survival at sea?

Person: James Vaughn
Age: 54
Boat: 1986 Bertram, 31 feet, named Carol Ann II
Location: Kellner Beach docks / Gulf of Mexico, 38 miles offshore
Time in water: 5 hours 53 minutes

- At 6:40 a.m. on July 10, a fifteen-year-old girl found a life ring hanging on a wooden post near the Kellner Beach docks; the ring was bone dry.
- Vaughn left the Kellner Beach dock at 9:15 p.m. on July 9 with no float plan, no clients, and no one expecting his return.
- Around 11:50 p.m., the wind and swells changed in roughly twenty minutes, producing six-foot swells that rolled the Carol Ann II and threw Vaughn into the water at approximately 11:58 p.m.
- The EPIRB tore free during the capsizing, fell into the bilge and remained dry and silent, transmitting no distress signal.
- Within two hours of the girl's discovery of the dry ring, search-and-rescue assets were redirected nineteen miles west, and Vaughn was later found and taken to a hospital in Chiefland.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1210falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-perfect-knot-five-days-lost-one-man-never-found--73079160
A bright orange four-person liferaft, salt-scoured and tied to a dock with a textbook cleat hitch, was found alone on Pelican Shelf Island - the knot signaled intent, but the owner had vanished. How did a flawless search-and-rescue operation still end up looking in the wrong ocean for five days after a distress call?

In this episode, we follow the delivery voyage of the 42-foot sloop Idle Wind from Clearwater, the squall that knocked the mast down, the distress call made at 00:44 on June 14, 2011, and the discovery of the raft on June 19; what happened between those dates that left one man never found?

Person: Eugene Tate
Person: Marcus Webb
Person: Person: Art Hess
Date: June 14, 2011
Location: Pelican Shelf Island

- The liferaft was a bright orange inflatable with a four-person capacity.
- The painter line was secured to a cleat with a perfect cleat hitch and correct half-hitches.
- The distress call was made at 00:44 on June 14, 2011, with coordinates read from the chartplotter.
- The Idle Wind was a 42-foot sloop that left Clearwater at 07:00 on June 9, 2011.
- Winds reached 51 knots during the squall line southwest of Dry Tortugas, causing the chainplate fitting to fail and the mast to come down.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079160Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Perfect Knot, Five Days Lost, One Man Never Found A bright orange four-person liferaft, salt-scoured and tied to a dock with a textbook cleat hitch, was found alone on Pelican Shelf Island - the knot signaled intent, but the owner had vanished....
A bright orange four-person liferaft, salt-scoured and tied to a dock with a textbook cleat hitch, was found alone on Pelican Shelf Island - the knot signaled intent, but the owner had vanished. How did a flawless search-and-rescue operation still end up looking in the wrong ocean for five days after a distress call?

In this episode, we follow the delivery voyage of the 42-foot sloop Idle Wind from Clearwater, the squall that knocked the mast down, the distress call made at 00:44 on June 14, 2011, and the discovery of the raft on June 19; what happened between those dates that left one man never found?

Person: Eugene Tate
Person: Marcus Webb
Person: Person: Art Hess
Date: June 14, 2011
Location: Pelican Shelf Island

- The liferaft was a bright orange inflatable with a four-person capacity.
- The painter line was secured to a cleat with a perfect cleat hitch and correct half-hitches.
- The distress call was made at 00:44 on June 14, 2011, with coordinates read from the chartplotter.
- The Idle Wind was a 42-foot sloop that left Clearwater at 07:00 on June 9, 2011.
- Winds reached 51 knots during the squall line southwest of Dry Tortugas, causing the chainplate fitting to fail and the mast to come down.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1131falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/nineteen-hours-one-pink-sandal-the-marisol-strait-s-narrow-margin--73079159
A child's pink sandal was found lodged inside a latched electrical housing eleven feet above a tidal flat - on a Tuesday morning in mid‑May 2021 - with no flood damage and the latch fully seated. How did a size four left sandal travel four miles in one direction while its owner traveled nineteen miles in the other, and what does that impossible trajectory reveal about the thin line between survival and loss?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from departure through the four‑minute capsize and the ensuing nineteen hours and forty minutes of open‑sea survival, following the ferry, its crew, and the passengers caught in the sudden squall. What choices, mechanical failures, and environmental facts narrowed the margin between life and death?

Date: May 14, 2021
Vessel: Marisol Strait
Route: Sulphur Point to Dorado Key (Dorado Key)
Passengers on board: 47
Fatalities: 9

- The Marisol Strait departed Sulphur Point at 07:10, eleven minutes behind schedule, with forty‑seven passengers and nine vehicles.
- The squall hit at approximately 07:40, producing recorded wind gusts of 52 knots and accelerating sea build due to the shallow shelf geometry.
- Within ninety seconds of the squall, the vessel listed three degrees; within two minutes the list reached forty‑one degrees; the entire capsize sequence lasted four minutes.
- Bruce Berry surfaced, swam to a child named Maya, removed her from the railing with roughly thirty seconds to spare, and kept her alive inside a survival suit for nineteen hours and forty minutes.
- A pink left sandal (size four, molded daisy on the toe strap) was recovered inside a latched electrical housing eleven feet off the ground on a Tuesday morning in the third week of May 2021, with no signs of flooding on the housing.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079159Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaNineteen Hours, One Pink Sandal: The Marisol Strait's Narrow Margin A child's pink sandal was found lodged inside a latched electrical housing eleven feet above a tidal flat - on a Tuesday morning in mid‑May 2021 - with no flood damage and the...
A child's pink sandal was found lodged inside a latched electrical housing eleven feet above a tidal flat - on a Tuesday morning in mid‑May 2021 - with no flood damage and the latch fully seated. How did a size four left sandal travel four miles in one direction while its owner traveled nineteen miles in the other, and what does that impossible trajectory reveal about the thin line between survival and loss?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from departure through the four‑minute capsize and the ensuing nineteen hours and forty minutes of open‑sea survival, following the ferry, its crew, and the passengers caught in the sudden squall. What choices, mechanical failures, and environmental facts narrowed the margin between life and death?

Date: May 14, 2021
Vessel: Marisol Strait
Route: Sulphur Point to Dorado Key (Dorado Key)
Passengers on board: 47
Fatalities: 9

- The Marisol Strait departed Sulphur Point at 07:10, eleven minutes behind schedule, with forty‑seven passengers and nine vehicles.
- The squall hit at approximately 07:40, producing recorded wind gusts of 52 knots and accelerating sea build due to the shallow shelf geometry.
- Within ninety seconds of the squall, the vessel listed three degrees; within two minutes the list reached forty‑one degrees; the entire capsize sequence lasted four minutes.
- Bruce Berry surfaced, swam to a child named Maya, removed her from the railing with roughly thirty seconds to spare, and kept her alive inside a survival suit for nineteen hours and forty minutes.
- A pink left sandal (size four, molded daisy on the toe strap) was recovered inside a latched electrical housing eleven feet off the ground on a Tuesday morning in the third week of May 2021, with no signs of flooding on the housing.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1014falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-notebook-how-a-perfectly-dry-logbook-saved-a-missing-sailor--73079158
Fear and disbelief meet the tide line: a logbook found half-buried in wet sand on Pelican Flats was completely dry, intact with three rubber bands, and it belonged to a man lost at sea whose EPIRB had transmitted coordinates-so how could the paper have survived and the beacon point to the wrong place? This episode centers on that impossible notebook, a firmware error that sent rescuers sixty miles off, and the single object that redirected the search.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Paul Holt’s departure and precise entries in his spiral notebooks through the activation of his EPIRB and the subsequent search that began on April 7th. We trace how a retired civil engineer’s habit of meticulous recordkeeping became the crucial clue that reopened the case and ask what the dry logbook really reveals about where Paul was and how he survived.

Person: Paul Holt
Date: April 4-19, 2017
Location: Pelican Flats / Gulf of Mexico
Status: Missing at sea; logbook recovered
Event: EPIRB activation at 03:51 on April 7, 2017

- The logbook was found half-buried at the tide line on Pelican Flats and was completely dry with three intact rubber bands.
- Paul Holt activated his EPIRB at 03:51 on April 7, 2017; the signal was received and confirmed at 03:54.
- Paul was 63 years old and a retired civil engineer who kept minute-by-minute entries across multiple spiral notebooks.
- The float plan listed the Dry Tortugas as the destination, roughly 220 nautical miles southwest of Bradenton, with a return date of April 10.
- Carl Jenkins of Seventh District Search and Rescue anchored the search on the EPIRB coordinates, which later proved to be about sixty miles incorrect.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079158Mon, 28 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Notebook: How a Perfectly Dry Logbook Saved a Missing Sailor Fear and disbelief meet the tide line: a logbook found half-buried in wet sand on Pelican Flats was completely dry, intact with three rubber bands, and it belonged to a man lost...
Fear and disbelief meet the tide line: a logbook found half-buried in wet sand on Pelican Flats was completely dry, intact with three rubber bands, and it belonged to a man lost at sea whose EPIRB had transmitted coordinates-so how could the paper have survived and the beacon point to the wrong place? This episode centers on that impossible notebook, a firmware error that sent rescuers sixty miles off, and the single object that redirected the search.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Paul Holt’s departure and precise entries in his spiral notebooks through the activation of his EPIRB and the subsequent search that began on April 7th. We trace how a retired civil engineer’s habit of meticulous recordkeeping became the crucial clue that reopened the case and ask what the dry logbook really reveals about where Paul was and how he survived.

Person: Paul Holt
Date: April 4-19, 2017
Location: Pelican Flats / Gulf of Mexico
Status: Missing at sea; logbook recovered
Event: EPIRB activation at 03:51 on April 7, 2017

- The logbook was found half-buried at the tide line on Pelican Flats and was completely dry with three intact rubber bands.
- Paul Holt activated his EPIRB at 03:51 on April 7, 2017; the signal was received and confirmed at 03:54.
- Paul was 63 years old and a retired civil engineer who kept minute-by-minute entries across multiple spiral notebooks.
- The float plan listed the Dry Tortugas as the destination, roughly 220 nautical miles southwest of Bradenton, with a return date of April 10.
- Carl Jenkins of Seventh District Search and Rescue anchored the search on the EPIRB coordinates, which later proved to be about sixty miles incorrect.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1185falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-survived-62-hours-the-raft-the-chart-the-wrong-search--73079157
Cold, exhausted, and alone for 62 hours and 40 minutes on an inflatable life raft in 59°F Gulf water, Nancy Hunter survived with a dry handheld radio and a folded paper chart - items no one expected to matter. Search aircraft were over the wrong water while a blue strip of rigger's tape, a chart folded to paperback size, and a radio kept in a jacket all played unexpected roles; how did those small, accidental objects become the difference between life and death?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the Annalise B.'s departure at Vidor Landing on March 4 to the discovery of the radio and chart at Calloway Cove trailer park on March 19, and trace what the official record of the Annalise B. shows about navigation, weather, and the hours Nancy spent alone. How did routine checks, a sudden midnight wind shift, and an 18-22 foot wave culminate in a survival story shaped by chance?

Person: Nancy Hunter
Event: Capsize of the Annalise B.
Date: March 4 (departure) and March 19 (discovery)
Location: Gulf of Mexico; Vidor Landing; Calloway Cove trailer park, unit 44
Duration: 62 hours and 40 minutes in life raft

- The wave struck the port quarter at 1:47 AM, rolling the 42-foot steel-hull Annalise B. past positive stability.
- Nancy entered the water approximately four minutes before finding the life raft in 59°F water.
- She called for the crew for roughly 40 minutes after getting into the raft with no answer.
- The Annalise B. had been working out of Vidor Landing for roughly two decades and left March 4 around 6:00 AM.
- The orange marine radio with antenna intact and charged batteries was found against the propane riser at unit 44 on March 19.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079157Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Survived 62 Hours: The Raft, The Chart, The Wrong Search Cold, exhausted, and alone for 62 hours and 40 minutes on an inflatable life raft in 59°F Gulf water, Nancy Hunter survived with a dry handheld radio and a folded paper chart - items no...
Cold, exhausted, and alone for 62 hours and 40 minutes on an inflatable life raft in 59°F Gulf water, Nancy Hunter survived with a dry handheld radio and a folded paper chart - items no one expected to matter. Search aircraft were over the wrong water while a blue strip of rigger's tape, a chart folded to paperback size, and a radio kept in a jacket all played unexpected roles; how did those small, accidental objects become the difference between life and death?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the Annalise B.'s departure at Vidor Landing on March 4 to the discovery of the radio and chart at Calloway Cove trailer park on March 19, and trace what the official record of the Annalise B. shows about navigation, weather, and the hours Nancy spent alone. How did routine checks, a sudden midnight wind shift, and an 18-22 foot wave culminate in a survival story shaped by chance?

Person: Nancy Hunter
Event: Capsize of the Annalise B.
Date: March 4 (departure) and March 19 (discovery)
Location: Gulf of Mexico; Vidor Landing; Calloway Cove trailer park, unit 44
Duration: 62 hours and 40 minutes in life raft

- The wave struck the port quarter at 1:47 AM, rolling the 42-foot steel-hull Annalise B. past positive stability.
- Nancy entered the water approximately four minutes before finding the life raft in 59°F water.
- She called for the crew for roughly 40 minutes after getting into the raft with no answer.
- The Annalise B. had been working out of Vidor Landing for roughly two decades and left March 4 around 6:00 AM.
- The orange marine radio with antenna intact and charged batteries was found against the propane riser at unit 44 on March 19.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1051falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-ties-herself-to-the-hull-the-paula-vogel-survival-story--73079155
A lone woman lashed to an upside-down hull drifted forty miles offshore for nearly four days with a watch that kept running and a radio she keyed every thirty minutes-how did disciplined preparation turn into a fight for survival in 58°F Gulf water? Paula Vogel was a 48-year-old captain and teacher who survived 83 hours on an inverted ketch; what choices kept her alive, and which instruments failed when she needed them most?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from Paula Vogel casting off in the morning to the moment a search aircraft spotted the inverted hull at 12:51 on Monday; we trace her preparations, the capsize, her immediate decisions, and the unanswered calls she made into the dark to ask how long a watch and a radio can actually buy you.

Person: Paula Vogel
Date: February 7-11, 2019
Location: Gulf of Mexico, 40 miles offshore near Boca Roja Pass
Vessel: 42-foot ketch Cayo Largo
Duration Afloat: approximately 83 hours

- Paula Vogel cast off on Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 06:47 from Sarasota aboard the Cayo Largo.
- A wave estimated between 9 and 12 feet high inverted the ketch at approximately 21:15 on Friday night.
- The water temperature where she surfaced was 58 degrees Fahrenheit.
- She transmitted her position every 30 minutes through the first night using a portable VHF in her left pocket.
- At 12:51 on Monday afternoon a search aircraft from Sector Saint Petersburg spotted the upside-down hull with Paula lashed to the keel.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079155Sat, 26 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Ties Herself to the Hull: The Paula Vogel Survival Story A lone woman lashed to an upside-down hull drifted forty miles offshore for nearly four days with a watch that kept running and a radio she keyed every thirty minutes-how did disciplined...
A lone woman lashed to an upside-down hull drifted forty miles offshore for nearly four days with a watch that kept running and a radio she keyed every thirty minutes-how did disciplined preparation turn into a fight for survival in 58°F Gulf water? Paula Vogel was a 48-year-old captain and teacher who survived 83 hours on an inverted ketch; what choices kept her alive, and which instruments failed when she needed them most?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from Paula Vogel casting off in the morning to the moment a search aircraft spotted the inverted hull at 12:51 on Monday; we trace her preparations, the capsize, her immediate decisions, and the unanswered calls she made into the dark to ask how long a watch and a radio can actually buy you.

Person: Paula Vogel
Date: February 7-11, 2019
Location: Gulf of Mexico, 40 miles offshore near Boca Roja Pass
Vessel: 42-foot ketch Cayo Largo
Duration Afloat: approximately 83 hours

- Paula Vogel cast off on Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 06:47 from Sarasota aboard the Cayo Largo.
- A wave estimated between 9 and 12 feet high inverted the ketch at approximately 21:15 on Friday night.
- The water temperature where she surfaced was 58 degrees Fahrenheit.
- She transmitted her position every 30 minutes through the first night using a portable VHF in her left pocket.
- At 12:51 on Monday afternoon a search aircraft from Sector Saint Petersburg spotted the upside-down hull with Paula lashed to the keel.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1175falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/sailor-spends-nine-days-invisible-at-sea-the-holly-dalton-ordeal--73079154
A woman drifted alone for nine days after her mast collapsed in 41-knot winds and 19-foot seas, carrying a sealed waterproof bag that later washed ashore with a pencil log of dwindling marks - and a single word: Tuesday. How did a clean PLB signal, seven passing commercial vessels, and a simple transcription error combine to leave Holly Dalton invisible in plain sight?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Holly’s departure and the mast failure to the failed search and the discovery of the waterproof bag on a Tillamook County beach, asking how procedure and small mistakes stretched nine days into a fight for survival.

Person: Holly Dalton
Date: January 8-17, 2019
Location: Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast
Event: Liferaft abandonment after mast failure
Person: Peggy Arndt

- Holly activated her personal locator beacon at 1:17 AM on January 9, 2019.
- The mast failed at approximately 11:40 PM on January 8 during 41-knot winds and 19-foot seas.
- Seven commercial vessels passed within visual range of Holly’s raft in the first 24 hours after abandonment.
- A night-shift technician transposed two digits in the longitude, placing the PLB coordinates 43 nautical miles east of Holly’s actual position.
- On January 19, Peggy Arndt found a sealed waterproof matchbox-sized bag on the northern edge of Tillamook County containing a laminated card with seven rows of pencil marks and the word "Tuesday."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079154Fri, 25 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaSailor Spends Nine Days Invisible at Sea: The Holly Dalton Ordeal A woman drifted alone for nine days after her mast collapsed in 41-knot winds and 19-foot seas, carrying a sealed waterproof bag that later washed ashore with a pencil log of...
A woman drifted alone for nine days after her mast collapsed in 41-knot winds and 19-foot seas, carrying a sealed waterproof bag that later washed ashore with a pencil log of dwindling marks - and a single word: Tuesday. How did a clean PLB signal, seven passing commercial vessels, and a simple transcription error combine to leave Holly Dalton invisible in plain sight?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Holly’s departure and the mast failure to the failed search and the discovery of the waterproof bag on a Tillamook County beach, asking how procedure and small mistakes stretched nine days into a fight for survival.

Person: Holly Dalton
Date: January 8-17, 2019
Location: Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast
Event: Liferaft abandonment after mast failure
Person: Peggy Arndt

- Holly activated her personal locator beacon at 1:17 AM on January 9, 2019.
- The mast failed at approximately 11:40 PM on January 8 during 41-knot winds and 19-foot seas.
- Seven commercial vessels passed within visual range of Holly’s raft in the first 24 hours after abandonment.
- A night-shift technician transposed two digits in the longitude, placing the PLB coordinates 43 nautical miles east of Holly’s actual position.
- On January 19, Peggy Arndt found a sealed waterproof matchbox-sized bag on the northern edge of Tillamook County containing a laminated card with seven rows of pencil marks and the word "Tuesday."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1087falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-chess-clock-at-sea-how-a-nameless-current-broke-three-men-s-fate--73079153
A cold subsurface current moving perpendicular to every chart pushed three men into a forty-nine-hour drift where one dial stopped and the other kept running-literally. A tournament-grade chess clock taped shut washed up face-up, one side frozen; who pressed its button before letting go, and what does that frozen click reveal about where the men went?

In this episode, we tell what happened from departure to recovery using the survivors’ gear, the vessel tracks, and the oceanography paper that no chart had adopted; we trace the timeline that led to one man pulled hypothermic after 49 hours and two minutes and two men never found, and ask how an unnamed current redirected the search.

Person: Raymond Lewis
Person: Art Neville
Person: Travis Cole
Date: December 9-11, 2019
Event: Packer sank; Celia Jane found aground nine miles southwest of Pelado Island

- The chess clock was a mechanical tournament-grade double-faced clock in a black plastic casing, taped shut at the battery compartment.
- The crossing was planned as roughly two-and-a-half hours; Raymond was recovered 49 hours and 2 minutes after departure.
- The Celia Jane’s chartplotter recorded the Packer taking on water 18 minutes after leaving the marina and deliberate course corrections starting at 06:25.
- An oceanography article described a winter subsurface counter-current moving northeast to southwest at potentially 2-3 knots, appearing unpredictably each December.
- Marine Patrol Officer Dennis Pruitt found the Celia Jane aground on a shell bank nine miles southwest of Pelado Island two days after departure.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079153Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Chess Clock at Sea: How a Nameless Current Broke Three Men's Fate A cold subsurface current moving perpendicular to every chart pushed three men into a forty-nine-hour drift where one dial stopped and the other kept running-literally. A...
A cold subsurface current moving perpendicular to every chart pushed three men into a forty-nine-hour drift where one dial stopped and the other kept running-literally. A tournament-grade chess clock taped shut washed up face-up, one side frozen; who pressed its button before letting go, and what does that frozen click reveal about where the men went?

In this episode, we tell what happened from departure to recovery using the survivors’ gear, the vessel tracks, and the oceanography paper that no chart had adopted; we trace the timeline that led to one man pulled hypothermic after 49 hours and two minutes and two men never found, and ask how an unnamed current redirected the search.

Person: Raymond Lewis
Person: Art Neville
Person: Travis Cole
Date: December 9-11, 2019
Event: Packer sank; Celia Jane found aground nine miles southwest of Pelado Island

- The chess clock was a mechanical tournament-grade double-faced clock in a black plastic casing, taped shut at the battery compartment.
- The crossing was planned as roughly two-and-a-half hours; Raymond was recovered 49 hours and 2 minutes after departure.
- The Celia Jane’s chartplotter recorded the Packer taking on water 18 minutes after leaving the marina and deliberate course corrections starting at 06:25.
- An oceanography article described a winter subsurface counter-current moving northeast to southwest at potentially 2-3 knots, appearing unpredictably each December.
- Marine Patrol Officer Dennis Pruitt found the Celia Jane aground on a shell bank nine miles southwest of Pelado Island two days after departure.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1154falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-survived-11-days-how-the-ocean-almost-won-marilyn-wright--73079152
The idea of surviving eleven days alone at sea grabs you because it means every routine choice became a life-or-death hinge: a flare found on a marsh, an EPIRB that should have worked, and a life raft tether three feet too short. How did a radiology programmer with 11 years of offshore experience end up adrift while the Coast Guard searched in the wrong direction?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Marilyn Wright's departure from Savannah to the moment she launched the life raft, the equipment she had, and the failures that followed, closing on the same question the searchers faced: why was she not found sooner?

Date: November 19, 2011
Person: Marilyn Wright
Location: East of Cumberland Island
Vessel: Ardent Passage (sloop)
Equipment: EPIRB (406 MHz), handheld VHF, Pains-Wessex parachute flare

- Marilyn left Savannah on November 7, 2011, bound for St. Augustine, about 120 miles away.
- She kept a strict insulin schedule for her cat Compass at 5:45 AM and 6:15 PM, with a neighbor, Harold Sims, administering injections.
- The life raft tether measured 8 feet while the deck flare bracket was 11 feet away, a 3-foot gap that prevented reaching the flare.
- The EPIRB was a 406 MHz unit registered with NOAA and should have activated on contact with saltwater.
- Peggy Carlson found an unfired Pains-Wessex parachute flare on Willet Island on the morning of November 19, 2011.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079152Wed, 23 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Survived 11 Days: How the Ocean Almost Won Marilyn Wright The idea of surviving eleven days alone at sea grabs you because it means every routine choice became a life-or-death hinge: a flare found on a marsh, an EPIRB that should have worked,...
The idea of surviving eleven days alone at sea grabs you because it means every routine choice became a life-or-death hinge: a flare found on a marsh, an EPIRB that should have worked, and a life raft tether three feet too short. How did a radiology programmer with 11 years of offshore experience end up adrift while the Coast Guard searched in the wrong direction?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Marilyn Wright's departure from Savannah to the moment she launched the life raft, the equipment she had, and the failures that followed, closing on the same question the searchers faced: why was she not found sooner?

Date: November 19, 2011
Person: Marilyn Wright
Location: East of Cumberland Island
Vessel: Ardent Passage (sloop)
Equipment: EPIRB (406 MHz), handheld VHF, Pains-Wessex parachute flare

- Marilyn left Savannah on November 7, 2011, bound for St. Augustine, about 120 miles away.
- She kept a strict insulin schedule for her cat Compass at 5:45 AM and 6:15 PM, with a neighbor, Harold Sims, administering injections.
- The life raft tether measured 8 feet while the deck flare bracket was 11 feet away, a 3-foot gap that prevented reaching the flare.
- The EPIRB was a 406 MHz unit registered with NOAA and should have activated on contact with saltwater.
- Peggy Carlson found an unfired Pains-Wessex parachute flare on Willet Island on the morning of November 19, 2011.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1270falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/forty-one-hours-adrift-her-radio-whispered-to-the-sharks--73079151
She left a working VHF radio taped to the binnacle, but when a marina tech found it six weeks later its screen still glowed on channel sixteen and one battery bar remained - and underneath it, a perfect oval of dry fiberglass no wider than a paperback book. Forty-one hours of fragmented audio were recovered from a recorder that slept between motion events, most of it a woman's voice speaking to the sharks circling a disabled thirty-two-foot sailboat; what those recordings really mean is the question that won't let go.

In this episode, we reconstruct the timeline from departure to rescue and examine the evidence found afterward, using Dawn Evans's logbook entries, her partial distress call, and the Coast Guard's search records to follow how a failing GPS and a thirty-one-mile navigational error reshaped everything. How did a precise sailor end up adrift while her radio kept whispering?

Person: Dawn Evans
Age: 28
Boat: Hunter 32 Calinda Star
Departure note time: 06:42 (logbook)
Reported position: 24°18′N, 83°45′W

- The handheld radio was found six weeks after Dawn walked off the boat, dry in the cockpit.
- The radio screen was on channel sixteen with one battery bar and a moisture-free grille.
- The digital recorder contained forty-one hours of audio spanning nine days at sea.
- Dawn reported a GPS flicker in the logbook the morning of departure (noted at 06:42).
- The position she radioed on Thursday morning was off by thirty-one miles due to an unaccounted northwest current.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079151Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaForty-One Hours Adrift: Her Radio Whispered to the Sharks She left a working VHF radio taped to the binnacle, but when a marina tech found it six weeks later its screen still glowed on channel sixteen and one battery bar remained - and underneath...
She left a working VHF radio taped to the binnacle, but when a marina tech found it six weeks later its screen still glowed on channel sixteen and one battery bar remained - and underneath it, a perfect oval of dry fiberglass no wider than a paperback book. Forty-one hours of fragmented audio were recovered from a recorder that slept between motion events, most of it a woman's voice speaking to the sharks circling a disabled thirty-two-foot sailboat; what those recordings really mean is the question that won't let go.

In this episode, we reconstruct the timeline from departure to rescue and examine the evidence found afterward, using Dawn Evans's logbook entries, her partial distress call, and the Coast Guard's search records to follow how a failing GPS and a thirty-one-mile navigational error reshaped everything. How did a precise sailor end up adrift while her radio kept whispering?

Person: Dawn Evans
Age: 28
Boat: Hunter 32 Calinda Star
Departure note time: 06:42 (logbook)
Reported position: 24°18′N, 83°45′W

- The handheld radio was found six weeks after Dawn walked off the boat, dry in the cockpit.
- The radio screen was on channel sixteen with one battery bar and a moisture-free grille.
- The digital recorder contained forty-one hours of audio spanning nine days at sea.
- Dawn reported a GPS flicker in the logbook the morning of departure (noted at 06:42).
- The position she radioed on Thursday morning was off by thirty-one miles due to an unaccounted northwest current.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1178falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/rescuers-find-an-empty-suit-standing-upright-at-sea-the-peregrine-survival--73079148
The moment a birdwatcher photographed a dry suit standing upright on basalt with its neck gasket rolled back, it hinted at a survival story written in small, decisive choices - three people spent thirty-one hours in 51°F water after a sloop sank and an EPIRB alert went to the wrong phone. What prevented a complete catastrophe when search aircraft were miles away and the 62-foot Peregrine lay on the ocean floor?

In this episode, we tell how a delivery passage from Astoria turned into a survival ordeal, who was on board, and the sequence of events from the broach to the wrong-person alert that left rescuers searching the wrong coordinates - and how one photograph becomes a crucial clue.

Person: Duane Simpson
Person: Pete Anshaw
Person: Tara Boone
Date: September 10-14, 2019
Location: Toluca Shoals / Pacific off Astoria

- The Peregrine was a 62-foot aluminum-hulled sloop.
- The crew spent 31 hours in 51°F water.
- The broach occurred at 11:40 PM on September 11 with 22-foot seas.
- The EPIRB alert fired at 2:17 AM on September 12 and went to Phil Gant, not a rescue center.
- The dry suit was an 11-year-old Kokatat, 5-mm neoprene, size large, stored unused in a mesh bag.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079148Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaRescuers Find an Empty Suit Standing Upright at Sea: The Peregrine Survival The moment a birdwatcher photographed a dry suit standing upright on basalt with its neck gasket rolled back, it hinted at a survival story written in small, decisive...
The moment a birdwatcher photographed a dry suit standing upright on basalt with its neck gasket rolled back, it hinted at a survival story written in small, decisive choices - three people spent thirty-one hours in 51°F water after a sloop sank and an EPIRB alert went to the wrong phone. What prevented a complete catastrophe when search aircraft were miles away and the 62-foot Peregrine lay on the ocean floor?

In this episode, we tell how a delivery passage from Astoria turned into a survival ordeal, who was on board, and the sequence of events from the broach to the wrong-person alert that left rescuers searching the wrong coordinates - and how one photograph becomes a crucial clue.

Person: Duane Simpson
Person: Pete Anshaw
Person: Tara Boone
Date: September 10-14, 2019
Location: Toluca Shoals / Pacific off Astoria

- The Peregrine was a 62-foot aluminum-hulled sloop.
- The crew spent 31 hours in 51°F water.
- The broach occurred at 11:40 PM on September 11 with 22-foot seas.
- The EPIRB alert fired at 2:17 AM on September 12 and went to Phil Gant, not a rescue center.
- The dry suit was an 11-year-old Kokatat, 5-mm neoprene, size large, stored unused in a mesh bag.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1231falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-nail-the-shoe-and-the-boy-nobody-claimed--73079142
A white size-four sneaker nailed to a harbor buoy, a class‑rated captain who never cut corners, and a nine‑year‑old boy missing a shoe - the morning of August 13 began with a single, deliberate act that promised answers and raised a new question: how did that child's shoe end up nailed to buoy eleven in Arroyo Key? What trace will finally tell the story of the voyage that went wrong?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline from departure to capsize and the items left behind, tracing the movements recorded in logbooks, the emergency beacon signal, and the single sneaker that set the investigation in motion to ask who was on board and what happened after the ketch overturned.

Person: Paul Dunning
Person: Carol O'Connor
Person: Marcus Dunning
Date: August 6-13 (voyage began August 6; sneaker reported August 13)
Location: Arroyo Key harbor, buoy eleven

- The ketch Ardea departed Apalachicola at 04:46 on August 6 with a logged route of approximately 210 nautical miles to Arroyo Key.
- The logbook entries stopped at 14:51 on August 7, the time Paul needed both hands for the helm as the sea worsened.
- At 16:15 on August 7, Ardea went over, inverted, then rolled upright; the mast broke at the partners and was grinding against the hull.
- An EPIRB aboard Ardea transmitted a clean satellite signal at 16:22 on August 7 after activating on impact.
- On the morning of August 13, Amy Weaver photographed and reported a white canvas right sneaker, size four, nailed to the shoulder of buoy eleven; Doug Ferris later confirmed it showed no visible damage.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079142Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Nail, The Shoe, and the Boy Nobody Claimed A white size-four sneaker nailed to a harbor buoy, a class‑rated captain who never cut corners, and a nine‑year‑old boy missing a shoe - the morning of August 13 began with a single, deliberate act...
A white size-four sneaker nailed to a harbor buoy, a class‑rated captain who never cut corners, and a nine‑year‑old boy missing a shoe - the morning of August 13 began with a single, deliberate act that promised answers and raised a new question: how did that child's shoe end up nailed to buoy eleven in Arroyo Key? What trace will finally tell the story of the voyage that went wrong?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline from departure to capsize and the items left behind, tracing the movements recorded in logbooks, the emergency beacon signal, and the single sneaker that set the investigation in motion to ask who was on board and what happened after the ketch overturned.

Person: Paul Dunning
Person: Carol O'Connor
Person: Marcus Dunning
Date: August 6-13 (voyage began August 6; sneaker reported August 13)
Location: Arroyo Key harbor, buoy eleven

- The ketch Ardea departed Apalachicola at 04:46 on August 6 with a logged route of approximately 210 nautical miles to Arroyo Key.
- The logbook entries stopped at 14:51 on August 7, the time Paul needed both hands for the helm as the sea worsened.
- At 16:15 on August 7, Ardea went over, inverted, then rolled upright; the mast broke at the partners and was grinding against the hull.
- An EPIRB aboard Ardea transmitted a clean satellite signal at 16:22 on August 7 after activating on impact.
- On the morning of August 13, Amy Weaver photographed and reported a white canvas right sneaker, size four, nailed to the shoulder of buoy eleven; Doug Ferris later confirmed it showed no visible damage.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1154falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/whose-beacon-lied-the-11-days-the-ocean-tried-to-erase-her--73079141
The ocean can strip identity and still leave a clue-dry and intact-forty-seven miles inland: a handheld marine radio with a laminated card reading EMILY LEWIS - DAY ELEVEN and a compass heading of 287 degrees. How did a naval architect become separated from her boat, survive alone on a raft for eleven days with precisely rationed water, and end up leaving a radio on a logging road that carried a hand-drawn cape sketch as her only message?

In this episode, we follow the chronology of events from the July 9 departure from Newport through the dismasting, the mistaken emergency signal tied to another vessel, and Emily Lewis’s eleven days at sea. We trace what equipment was onboard, what failed, and why the rescue system was searching for the wrong boat-could one unchecked backup beacon change everything?

Person: Emily Lewis
Location: Newport, Oregon
Date: July 9-July 20, 2019
Event: Dismasting and eleven-day survival on a raft
Item found: Handheld marine radio with card reading "EMILY LEWIS - DAY ELEVEN" and heading 287°

- Departure recorded: July 9 from Newport on the 44-foot sloop Ardent Crossing
- Disabling incident: Mast came down on the afternoon of July 10, roughly 60 miles offshore
- Backup EPIRB activated: 11:07 on July 11 and was registered to vessel Blue Heron (Garibaldi)
- Raft launch: Emily paddled away at 06:20 on July 12 with 4 liters of water and rations for 6 days
- Radio discovery: Paula Weaver found the sealed marine radio on a Tillamook County logging road in late July, 47 miles from the nearest beach

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079141Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhose Beacon Lied? The 11 Days the Ocean Tried to Erase Her The ocean can strip identity and still leave a clue-dry and intact-forty-seven miles inland: a handheld marine radio with a laminated card reading EMILY LEWIS - DAY ELEVEN and a compass...
The ocean can strip identity and still leave a clue-dry and intact-forty-seven miles inland: a handheld marine radio with a laminated card reading EMILY LEWIS - DAY ELEVEN and a compass heading of 287 degrees. How did a naval architect become separated from her boat, survive alone on a raft for eleven days with precisely rationed water, and end up leaving a radio on a logging road that carried a hand-drawn cape sketch as her only message?

In this episode, we follow the chronology of events from the July 9 departure from Newport through the dismasting, the mistaken emergency signal tied to another vessel, and Emily Lewis’s eleven days at sea. We trace what equipment was onboard, what failed, and why the rescue system was searching for the wrong boat-could one unchecked backup beacon change everything?

Person: Emily Lewis
Location: Newport, Oregon
Date: July 9-July 20, 2019
Event: Dismasting and eleven-day survival on a raft
Item found: Handheld marine radio with card reading "EMILY LEWIS - DAY ELEVEN" and heading 287°

- Departure recorded: July 9 from Newport on the 44-foot sloop Ardent Crossing
- Disabling incident: Mast came down on the afternoon of July 10, roughly 60 miles offshore
- Backup EPIRB activated: 11:07 on July 11 and was registered to vessel Blue Heron (Garibaldi)
- Raft launch: Emily paddled away at 06:20 on July 12 with 4 liters of water and rations for 6 days
- Radio discovery: Paula Weaver found the sealed marine radio on a Tillamook County logging road in late July, 47 miles from the nearest beach

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1240falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/it-was-a-tuesday-morning-in-late-june-of-two-thousand-eleven--73079140
He survived six days in the Gulf on a teak hatch cover the size of a coffee table - roughly twenty-two by thirty inches - after his mast collapsed forty miles offshore and his life raft failed to open. How did Kenneth Hicks go from a sinking thirty-two-foot sloop to crawling ashore unseen, and why were searchers looking in the wrong place?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the Doris Jean’s departure to Kenneth Hicks arriving onshore, including the mast failure, the life raft malfunction, and the chance spotting by a crabber. What choices and small failures turned a routine eighty-mile passage into a six-day struggle for survival?

Person: Kenneth Hicks
Event: Mast failure and sinking
Date: June 5, 2011 (GPS final position recorded at 2:47 p.m.)
Location: 29°41′N, 86°12′W (approximately 40 miles offshore)
Item: Teak hatch cover, ~22 inches by 30 inches, brass hinges

- The port shroud failed and the mast fell in under four seconds at approximately 2:00 p.m, on Sunday, June 5, 2011.
- The Doris Jean’s GPS recorded its final position at 2:47 p.m. on June 5, 2011: 29°41′N, 86°12′W, about 40 miles offshore in 1,000 feet of water.
- The life raft canister, recertified 18 months earlier, did not open when Kenneth pulled the lanyard twice.
- Kenneth survived six days in the Gulf by clinging to a teak hatch cover about 22 by 30 inches with brass hinges still attached.
- Douglas Fife (a crabber) mistook Kenneth’s blue jacket for a great blue heron in the salt grass and found him near a creek bank, not by the Coast Guard or a helicopter.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079140Fri, 18 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaIt was a Tuesday morning in late June of two thousand eleven He survived six days in the Gulf on a teak hatch cover the size of a coffee table - roughly twenty-two by thirty inches - after his mast collapsed forty miles offshore and his life raft...
He survived six days in the Gulf on a teak hatch cover the size of a coffee table - roughly twenty-two by thirty inches - after his mast collapsed forty miles offshore and his life raft failed to open. How did Kenneth Hicks go from a sinking thirty-two-foot sloop to crawling ashore unseen, and why were searchers looking in the wrong place?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the Doris Jean’s departure to Kenneth Hicks arriving onshore, including the mast failure, the life raft malfunction, and the chance spotting by a crabber. What choices and small failures turned a routine eighty-mile passage into a six-day struggle for survival?

Person: Kenneth Hicks
Event: Mast failure and sinking
Date: June 5, 2011 (GPS final position recorded at 2:47 p.m.)
Location: 29°41′N, 86°12′W (approximately 40 miles offshore)
Item: Teak hatch cover, ~22 inches by 30 inches, brass hinges

- The port shroud failed and the mast fell in under four seconds at approximately 2:00 p.m, on Sunday, June 5, 2011.
- The Doris Jean’s GPS recorded its final position at 2:47 p.m. on June 5, 2011: 29°41′N, 86°12′W, about 40 miles offshore in 1,000 feet of water.
- The life raft canister, recertified 18 months earlier, did not open when Kenneth pulled the lanyard twice.
- Kenneth survived six days in the Gulf by clinging to a teak hatch cover about 22 by 30 inches with brass hinges still attached.
- Douglas Fife (a crabber) mistook Kenneth’s blue jacket for a great blue heron in the salt grass and found him near a creek bank, not by the Coast Guard or a helicopter.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1135falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-notebook-that-drifted-five-days-the-sea-wouldn-t-explain--73079139
A ninety-nine cent composition notebook survived thirteen days in the open Gulf of Mexico with its ink unreadably intact - and inside it were the moments that marked the last ordinary voyage of the Ardea. Who wrote what in those pages as wind climbed from twelve to over forty knots and a rope parted at the bow roller, and how did the boat end up sixty miles southwest of the shipping lane?

In this episode, we follow the Ardea’s five-day drift, the people aboard, and the damaged gear that turned routine into catastrophe, asking what small failure shifts a search from a street address to constantly changing coordinates.

Person: Pamela Myers
Person: Warren Fitch
Person: Doug Pelham
Date: May 3, 2011
Location: Gulf of Mexico

- The notebook cost $0.99 and was placed in a ziplock bag from the boat’s galley the night before departure.
- The Ardea departed Biloxi at 6:15 AM on May 3, 2011, bound for Clearwater via the traffic separation zone and shipping lane.
- At 2:17 AM on May 5, Pamela wrote the single word "wind" as instrument wind rose from 12 to over 40 knots.
- The parachute sea anchor held for 90 minutes before the anchor rode parted at the bow roller due to chafe under sustained load.
- By 9:00 AM after the squall, the GPS fix placed the Ardea 60 miles southwest of the shipping lane.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079139Thu, 17 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Notebook That Drifted: Five Days the Sea Wouldn't Explain A ninety-nine cent composition notebook survived thirteen days in the open Gulf of Mexico with its ink unreadably intact - and inside it were the moments that marked the last ordinary...
A ninety-nine cent composition notebook survived thirteen days in the open Gulf of Mexico with its ink unreadably intact - and inside it were the moments that marked the last ordinary voyage of the Ardea. Who wrote what in those pages as wind climbed from twelve to over forty knots and a rope parted at the bow roller, and how did the boat end up sixty miles southwest of the shipping lane?

In this episode, we follow the Ardea’s five-day drift, the people aboard, and the damaged gear that turned routine into catastrophe, asking what small failure shifts a search from a street address to constantly changing coordinates.

Person: Pamela Myers
Person: Warren Fitch
Person: Doug Pelham
Date: May 3, 2011
Location: Gulf of Mexico

- The notebook cost $0.99 and was placed in a ziplock bag from the boat’s galley the night before departure.
- The Ardea departed Biloxi at 6:15 AM on May 3, 2011, bound for Clearwater via the traffic separation zone and shipping lane.
- At 2:17 AM on May 5, Pamela wrote the single word "wind" as instrument wind rose from 12 to over 40 knots.
- The parachute sea anchor held for 90 minutes before the anchor rode parted at the bow roller due to chafe under sustained load.
- By 9:00 AM after the squall, the GPS fix placed the Ardea 60 miles southwest of the shipping lane.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1122falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-warm-eggs-on-a-drifting-boat-how-beverly-vanished-for-64-hours--73079133
Warm eggs on a trawler that had drifted under power for nearly sixty-four hours set a quiet alarm: a skillet with two scrambled eggs, a mug of coffee, the cabin latched from outside, and no one at the helm - how did a forty-eight-year-old marine surveyor disappear and then reappear with that impossible kitchen scene? What single detail in that galley photo will change everything you think you know about her disappearance?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Beverly Hill leaving Bayboro Harbor on April 6, 2019 to the discovery of her boat off Mullet Key on April 9, 2019, laying out the timeline, the vessel's movements, and the physical evidence that raises the central question: how did the Marisol Dawn run under power for days while its owner was missing?

Person: Beverly Hill
Date: April 6-9, 2019
Location: Marisol Dawn; found near Mullet Key, Egmont Channel
Boat: Mainship trawler, 32 feet, single engine
Observation: Galley photos show two scrambled eggs warm despite ~64 hours at sea

- Beverly left Bayboro Harbor at approximately 9:00 AM on April 6, 2019 to survey a hull in Osprey and completed the job by 2:00 PM.
- She fueled the Marisol Dawn to full at a Sarasota marina and departed Sarasota Bay at about 3:15 PM; dockhand Kevin Brandt witnessed the fill.
- At 4:51 PM the GPS recorded a sudden change in heading ~2 miles west of Casey Key; two minutes later logged erratic movement, then slow drift and loss of GPS signal.
- The Marisol Dawn was found drifting in slow circles near Mullet Key on the morning of April 9; the Coast Guard auxiliary boarded 42 minutes after Norman Turner called.
- The fuel gauge read one quarter tank when found, despite a full tank the previous afternoon, and the engine ran until oil was exhausted, stopping the vessel.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079133Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Warm Eggs on a Drifting Boat: How Beverly Vanished for 64 Hours Warm eggs on a trawler that had drifted under power for nearly sixty-four hours set a quiet alarm: a skillet with two scrambled eggs, a mug of coffee, the cabin latched from...
Warm eggs on a trawler that had drifted under power for nearly sixty-four hours set a quiet alarm: a skillet with two scrambled eggs, a mug of coffee, the cabin latched from outside, and no one at the helm - how did a forty-eight-year-old marine surveyor disappear and then reappear with that impossible kitchen scene? What single detail in that galley photo will change everything you think you know about her disappearance?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Beverly Hill leaving Bayboro Harbor on April 6, 2019 to the discovery of her boat off Mullet Key on April 9, 2019, laying out the timeline, the vessel's movements, and the physical evidence that raises the central question: how did the Marisol Dawn run under power for days while its owner was missing?

Person: Beverly Hill
Date: April 6-9, 2019
Location: Marisol Dawn; found near Mullet Key, Egmont Channel
Boat: Mainship trawler, 32 feet, single engine
Observation: Galley photos show two scrambled eggs warm despite ~64 hours at sea

- Beverly left Bayboro Harbor at approximately 9:00 AM on April 6, 2019 to survey a hull in Osprey and completed the job by 2:00 PM.
- She fueled the Marisol Dawn to full at a Sarasota marina and departed Sarasota Bay at about 3:15 PM; dockhand Kevin Brandt witnessed the fill.
- At 4:51 PM the GPS recorded a sudden change in heading ~2 miles west of Casey Key; two minutes later logged erratic movement, then slow drift and loss of GPS signal.
- The Marisol Dawn was found drifting in slow circles near Mullet Key on the morning of April 9; the Coast Guard auxiliary boarded 42 minutes after Norman Turner called.
- The fuel gauge read one quarter tank when found, despite a full tank the previous afternoon, and the engine ran until oil was exhausted, stopping the vessel.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1554falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-thermos-eight-days-how-michelle-survived-the-gulf--73079131
The dry interior of a yellow Stanley thermos that spent nine days in the Gulf - bone dry despite a manufacturer recall saying its seal fails after six hours - is the single inexplicable object that changed a search. A photograph, a nautical chart with twelve handwritten lines and GPS coordinates were taped inside; who sealed them and why did they expect to be found is the question that follows every step of this story.

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the people involved from departure to rescue and discovery, describing what happened on the boats, the weather shift that arrived before midnight, and the evidence recovered ashore and at sea to show how Michelle Sanders ended up alone in the water - and how the thermos became the only immediate physical trace of her ordeal.

Person: Michelle Sanders
Date: March 9-17, 2017
Location: Gulf of Mexico, 41 nautical miles offshore; Port Dumas departure
Event: Capsize of Clementine Too and activation of EPIRB at 21:47 on March 9
Investigator: Pat Suarez (debris reconstruction)

- Michelle was 32 years old and owned a 22-foot fiberglass sloop named Clementine Too.
- The thermos was found on March 17 after nine days in the Gulf and had athletic tape wound three times around the lid.
- The thermos interior contained a folded nautical chart, twelve lines of handwriting, GPS coordinates, and a photograph of a woman kneeling beside a large tortoise.
- Michelle activated her EPIRB at 21:47; Brenda Kurtz activated hers 37 minutes later and 5.3 nautical miles southeast.
- At approximately 21:00 on March 9 winds exceeded 40 knots and seas rose to 8-10 feet, with a wave capsizing Clementine Too at 22:15 and the hull gone by 01:00 on March 10.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079131Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Thermos, Eight Days: How Michelle Survived the Gulf The dry interior of a yellow Stanley thermos that spent nine days in the Gulf - bone dry despite a manufacturer recall saying its seal fails after six hours - is the single inexplicable object...
The dry interior of a yellow Stanley thermos that spent nine days in the Gulf - bone dry despite a manufacturer recall saying its seal fails after six hours - is the single inexplicable object that changed a search. A photograph, a nautical chart with twelve handwritten lines and GPS coordinates were taped inside; who sealed them and why did they expect to be found is the question that follows every step of this story.

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the people involved from departure to rescue and discovery, describing what happened on the boats, the weather shift that arrived before midnight, and the evidence recovered ashore and at sea to show how Michelle Sanders ended up alone in the water - and how the thermos became the only immediate physical trace of her ordeal.

Person: Michelle Sanders
Date: March 9-17, 2017
Location: Gulf of Mexico, 41 nautical miles offshore; Port Dumas departure
Event: Capsize of Clementine Too and activation of EPIRB at 21:47 on March 9
Investigator: Pat Suarez (debris reconstruction)

- Michelle was 32 years old and owned a 22-foot fiberglass sloop named Clementine Too.
- The thermos was found on March 17 after nine days in the Gulf and had athletic tape wound three times around the lid.
- The thermos interior contained a folded nautical chart, twelve lines of handwriting, GPS coordinates, and a photograph of a woman kneeling beside a large tortoise.
- Michelle activated her EPIRB at 21:47; Brenda Kurtz activated hers 37 minutes later and 5.3 nautical miles southeast.
- At approximately 21:00 on March 9 winds exceeded 40 knots and seas rose to 8-10 feet, with a wave capsizing Clementine Too at 22:15 and the hull gone by 01:00 on March 10.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1218falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/imposible-apertura-ancla-el-espejo-reaparece-en-el-cierre-con-identidad-revelada--73079130
A salt-crusted mirror, still damp and catching winter light, was found forty-two miles from the nearest coastline lodged in a pine tree - and it belonged to a woman who survived alone at sea for days with a broken mast, a ruined radio, and a ten-centimeter mirror that cost eleven dollars. How did Valerie Sharp’s small polished stainless steel mirror travel from a disabled sloop in the Gulf to a pine grove inland, and what did her journals and that mirror ultimately reveal about the last days she stayed alive?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Valerie Sharp’s five-day coastal passage that turned into a ten-day disappearance through the logs she kept and the search that missed her by a shifting subsurface eddy. We trace the evidence - the damaged mast, the failed flares, the compass of her routine Wednesday calls, and the single mirror she used to signal a passing HC-144 - to ask how one disciplined woman’s choices left a trail that led to discovery.

Person: Valerie Sharp
Date: February 7-19, 2014
Location: Tara Jean drifting roughly 18 miles SSW of Perdido Pass; mirror found 42 miles from coast
Event: Mast collapse, navigation electronics destroyed, failed flare kit
Device: Stainless steel mirror, 10 cm by 7 cm, with central sighting hole, cost $11

- Valerie Sharp was 52 years old and a licensed marine surveyor from Pensacola, Florida.
- On February 8 a wind gust of approximately 35 knots struck the Tara Jean and broke the mast across the cabin roof.
- The damaged VHF radio, chart plotter, and swamped flare kit left her with no electronic communication or functioning flares.
- Valerie logged water consumption to the deciliter and weather observations every six hours in a spiral notebook during the ordeal.
- A subsurface eddy moving at roughly 0.5 knot carried the Tara Jean about 100 miles from the original search grid over four days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079130Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at Obomediaimposible / APERTURA / Ancla: el espejo reaparece en el CIERRE con identidad revelada A salt-crusted mirror, still damp and catching winter light, was found forty-two miles from the nearest coastline lodged in a pine tree - and it belonged to a...
A salt-crusted mirror, still damp and catching winter light, was found forty-two miles from the nearest coastline lodged in a pine tree - and it belonged to a woman who survived alone at sea for days with a broken mast, a ruined radio, and a ten-centimeter mirror that cost eleven dollars. How did Valerie Sharp’s small polished stainless steel mirror travel from a disabled sloop in the Gulf to a pine grove inland, and what did her journals and that mirror ultimately reveal about the last days she stayed alive?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Valerie Sharp’s five-day coastal passage that turned into a ten-day disappearance through the logs she kept and the search that missed her by a shifting subsurface eddy. We trace the evidence - the damaged mast, the failed flares, the compass of her routine Wednesday calls, and the single mirror she used to signal a passing HC-144 - to ask how one disciplined woman’s choices left a trail that led to discovery.

Person: Valerie Sharp
Date: February 7-19, 2014
Location: Tara Jean drifting roughly 18 miles SSW of Perdido Pass; mirror found 42 miles from coast
Event: Mast collapse, navigation electronics destroyed, failed flare kit
Device: Stainless steel mirror, 10 cm by 7 cm, with central sighting hole, cost $11

- Valerie Sharp was 52 years old and a licensed marine surveyor from Pensacola, Florida.
- On February 8 a wind gust of approximately 35 knots struck the Tara Jean and broke the mast across the cabin roof.
- The damaged VHF radio, chart plotter, and swamped flare kit left her with no electronic communication or functioning flares.
- Valerie logged water consumption to the deciliter and weather observations every six hours in a spiral notebook during the ordeal.
- A subsurface eddy moving at roughly 0.5 knot carried the Tara Jean about 100 miles from the original search grid over four days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1067falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-cleat-that-saved-him-finding-land-with-sunlight-and-chance--73079128
A single stainless steel cleat and a memory of how sunlight hit it became the difference between rescue and disappearance after a forty-foot distress that lasted forty minutes and then went dark; how did a laminated chart show up dry in coastal shallows while a beacon fired forty hours earlier and no one was found? What followed is an account of drifting, vanished crew, and a makeshift navigation method born from an ordinary observation.

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to the moment of improvisation, laying out the timeline, the equipment lost, and the choices that altered the search area - and we ask whether a small, overlooked detail could really guide a boat to land.

Person: Alan Morris
Date: January 11-14, 2011
Location: departed Brunswick Landing Marina; distress area east of St. Mary’s Entrance
Vessel: Patrice Lee, 31-foot sloop
Signal duration: handheld beacon transmitted for approximately 40 minutes

- The voyage began on January 11, 2011, with a planned run to Nassau and a fuel stop at Fernandina Beach.
- At approximately 23:15 on January 12 the boat was partially pitchpoled by a 22-foot wave from the northwest.
- Equipment swept away included the tiller, binnacle, stern VHF, cockpit GPS antenna, and the EPIRB mounted on the stern bracket.
- Alan triggered the handheld emergency beacon at about 02:00 on January 13 and intentionally switched it off after roughly 40 minutes.
- A laminated navigation chart in a dry sealed tube was pulled from coastal shallows at 06:47 on January 14, covering Brunswick to St. Augustine with a name written across the top edge.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079128Sun, 13 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Cleat That Saved Him: Finding Land with Sunlight and Chance A single stainless steel cleat and a memory of how sunlight hit it became the difference between rescue and disappearance after a forty-foot distress that lasted forty minutes and then...
A single stainless steel cleat and a memory of how sunlight hit it became the difference between rescue and disappearance after a forty-foot distress that lasted forty minutes and then went dark; how did a laminated chart show up dry in coastal shallows while a beacon fired forty hours earlier and no one was found? What followed is an account of drifting, vanished crew, and a makeshift navigation method born from an ordinary observation.

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to the moment of improvisation, laying out the timeline, the equipment lost, and the choices that altered the search area - and we ask whether a small, overlooked detail could really guide a boat to land.

Person: Alan Morris
Date: January 11-14, 2011
Location: departed Brunswick Landing Marina; distress area east of St. Mary’s Entrance
Vessel: Patrice Lee, 31-foot sloop
Signal duration: handheld beacon transmitted for approximately 40 minutes

- The voyage began on January 11, 2011, with a planned run to Nassau and a fuel stop at Fernandina Beach.
- At approximately 23:15 on January 12 the boat was partially pitchpoled by a 22-foot wave from the northwest.
- Equipment swept away included the tiller, binnacle, stern VHF, cockpit GPS antenna, and the EPIRB mounted on the stern bracket.
- Alan triggered the handheld emergency beacon at about 02:00 on January 13 and intentionally switched it off after roughly 40 minutes.
- A laminated navigation chart in a dry sealed tube was pulled from coastal shallows at 06:47 on January 14, covering Brunswick to St. Augustine with a name written across the top edge.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1156falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/notebook-in-the-mangroves-how-she-wrote-her-way-back-alive--73079127
A lone spiral notebook found cupped in red mangrove roots led rescuers to an EPIRB error and a nine-day search; one woman survived by writing coordinates in pencil and rationing radio bursts. How did a hydrographic surveyor with a half-liter of water and a pencil navigate herself home after her 32-foot sloop pitchpoled 38 nautical miles southwest of Fort Myers Beach?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Judith Schmidt leaving Fort Myers Beach on December 4 to the pitchpole and her decisions in the raft, following how a low EPIRB battery and a notebook in the mangroves shaped the search and survival story. What did she record in that notebook that made the difference?

Person: Judith Schmidt
Date: December 4-13
Location: 38 nautical miles southwest of Fort Myers Beach; mangrove flat near Barrow Flat
Vessel: Harrow Bell, 32-foot sloop
Equipment: four-person life raft, handheld VHF radio, EPIRB with low battery

- She departed Fort Myers Beach at 6:45 AM on December 4 and cleared the sea buoy just before 7:00 AM.
- The pitchpole occurred at approximately 3:17 PM on December 5 in thirty-eight nautical miles southwest of Fort Myers Beach.
- She activated the EPIRB at 3:31 PM for 88 seconds, then silenced it to ration transmissions.
- Rescuer Peggy Nelson noted the coordinates from the notebook were eleven miles off from where they had been searching.
- A five-by-seven-inch spiral notebook was found cupped in red mangrove roots about eight feet from the waterline with legible coordinate columns.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079127Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaNotebook in the Mangroves: How She Wrote Her Way Back Alive A lone spiral notebook found cupped in red mangrove roots led rescuers to an EPIRB error and a nine-day search; one woman survived by writing coordinates in pencil and rationing radio...
A lone spiral notebook found cupped in red mangrove roots led rescuers to an EPIRB error and a nine-day search; one woman survived by writing coordinates in pencil and rationing radio bursts. How did a hydrographic surveyor with a half-liter of water and a pencil navigate herself home after her 32-foot sloop pitchpoled 38 nautical miles southwest of Fort Myers Beach?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Judith Schmidt leaving Fort Myers Beach on December 4 to the pitchpole and her decisions in the raft, following how a low EPIRB battery and a notebook in the mangroves shaped the search and survival story. What did she record in that notebook that made the difference?

Person: Judith Schmidt
Date: December 4-13
Location: 38 nautical miles southwest of Fort Myers Beach; mangrove flat near Barrow Flat
Vessel: Harrow Bell, 32-foot sloop
Equipment: four-person life raft, handheld VHF radio, EPIRB with low battery

- She departed Fort Myers Beach at 6:45 AM on December 4 and cleared the sea buoy just before 7:00 AM.
- The pitchpole occurred at approximately 3:17 PM on December 5 in thirty-eight nautical miles southwest of Fort Myers Beach.
- She activated the EPIRB at 3:31 PM for 88 seconds, then silenced it to ration transmissions.
- Rescuer Peggy Nelson noted the coordinates from the notebook were eleven miles off from where they had been searching.
- A five-by-seven-inch spiral notebook was found cupped in red mangrove roots about eight feet from the waterline with legible coordinate columns.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1377falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-notebook-the-checks-and-the-woman-who-survived-sixteen-days--73079126
A desperate act of triage was written in a soaking notebook that washed ashore two hundred and thirty miles from the wreck - and those four small checkmarks would decide who lived. What happened on the Maren Dusk between impact, a burning ship, and a half-buried spiral that turned up in a Georgia marsh sixteen days later?

In this episode, we tell what the surviving notebook contained, who wrote it, and how its seven names explain why one crew member lived while others did not. How did a damaged lifeboat, freezing water, and a single list determine survival?

Person: James Ferris
Date: November 1, 2011
Location: Atlantic (impact on port quarter) / Harker's Flat marsh, Georgia (notebook found)
Event: Collision and fire aboard the Maren Dusk
Status: One survivor from the ship

- The Maren Dusk was struck at approximately 2:40 AM on November 1, 2011, and was on fire four minutes later.
- The vessel was a 162-foot product tanker registered in Wilmington, Delaware, carrying industrial solvent and had departed Brunswick, Georgia on October 23, 2011.
- James Ferris, age 31 and the ship’s second officer, wrote seven names under the heading "CAN SWIM" and marked four with checkmarks while bleeding and hypothermic.
- Six people launched in the starboard survival capsule in sixteen-foot seas; the capsule held six survivors: Karen Wells, James Ferris, Paula Nance, Rico Sands, Leonard Pryce, and Eddie Thorn.
- A well-service contractor, Melvin Sullivan, found the rusted, coverless notebook in cordgrass at Harker's Flat marsh on November 14, 2011, about 230 miles from where the ship sank.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079126Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Notebook, the Checks, and the Woman Who Survived Sixteen Days A desperate act of triage was written in a soaking notebook that washed ashore two hundred and thirty miles from the wreck - and those four small checkmarks would decide who lived....
A desperate act of triage was written in a soaking notebook that washed ashore two hundred and thirty miles from the wreck - and those four small checkmarks would decide who lived. What happened on the Maren Dusk between impact, a burning ship, and a half-buried spiral that turned up in a Georgia marsh sixteen days later?

In this episode, we tell what the surviving notebook contained, who wrote it, and how its seven names explain why one crew member lived while others did not. How did a damaged lifeboat, freezing water, and a single list determine survival?

Person: James Ferris
Date: November 1, 2011
Location: Atlantic (impact on port quarter) / Harker's Flat marsh, Georgia (notebook found)
Event: Collision and fire aboard the Maren Dusk
Status: One survivor from the ship

- The Maren Dusk was struck at approximately 2:40 AM on November 1, 2011, and was on fire four minutes later.
- The vessel was a 162-foot product tanker registered in Wilmington, Delaware, carrying industrial solvent and had departed Brunswick, Georgia on October 23, 2011.
- James Ferris, age 31 and the ship’s second officer, wrote seven names under the heading "CAN SWIM" and marked four with checkmarks while bleeding and hypothermic.
- Six people launched in the starboard survival capsule in sixteen-foot seas; the capsule held six survivors: Karen Wells, James Ferris, Paula Nance, Rico Sands, Leonard Pryce, and Eddie Thorn.
- A well-service contractor, Melvin Sullivan, found the rusted, coverless notebook in cordgrass at Harker's Flat marsh on November 14, 2011, about 230 miles from where the ship sank.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1120falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-notebook-drifting-sloop-how-twelve-days-left-them-four-miles-too-far--73079125
A dry composition notebook floated four miles off Gull Flat Shoal with a rubber band still intact, its pages unread by salt despite eleven days at sea - and what was written inside helped explain how three people aboard a forty-two-foot sloop ended up one hundred and thirty miles outside the search box. How did a waterlogged passage, a failed watermaker, and nineteen hours of a drifting, dismasted boat combine to put them just out of reach?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of small decisions, mechanical failures, and weather that unfolded from departure to discovery, and follow how a dry notebook and a triggered EPIRB set rescue efforts in motion. What do the notebook’s pages and the boat’s logged position reveal about where things went wrong?

Person: Tom Rafferty
Person: Nina Vargas
Person: Douglas Smith
Date: October 9-23, 2019
Event: Watermaker failure, dismasting, 11-day drift

- The boat was a forty-two-foot sloop named Calico Wind with three people aboard.
- The watermaker stopped at 23:47 on October 9, less than nine hours after leaving Pensacola Pass.
- The crew rationed forty-six liters of water into one liter per person per day.
- On October 12 the boat ran under bare poles in eight-foot seas and forty-one-knot winds and broached, causing the mast to fail.
- The EPIRB broadcast a logged position approximately 210 miles southwest of Dry Notebook.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079125Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Notebook, Drifting Sloop: How Twelve Days Left Them Four Miles Too Far A dry composition notebook floated four miles off Gull Flat Shoal with a rubber band still intact, its pages unread by salt despite eleven days at sea - and what was written...
A dry composition notebook floated four miles off Gull Flat Shoal with a rubber band still intact, its pages unread by salt despite eleven days at sea - and what was written inside helped explain how three people aboard a forty-two-foot sloop ended up one hundred and thirty miles outside the search box. How did a waterlogged passage, a failed watermaker, and nineteen hours of a drifting, dismasted boat combine to put them just out of reach?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of small decisions, mechanical failures, and weather that unfolded from departure to discovery, and follow how a dry notebook and a triggered EPIRB set rescue efforts in motion. What do the notebook’s pages and the boat’s logged position reveal about where things went wrong?

Person: Tom Rafferty
Person: Nina Vargas
Person: Douglas Smith
Date: October 9-23, 2019
Event: Watermaker failure, dismasting, 11-day drift

- The boat was a forty-two-foot sloop named Calico Wind with three people aboard.
- The watermaker stopped at 23:47 on October 9, less than nine hours after leaving Pensacola Pass.
- The crew rationed forty-six liters of water into one liter per person per day.
- On October 12 the boat ran under bare poles in eight-foot seas and forty-one-knot winds and broached, causing the mast to fail.
- The EPIRB broadcast a logged position approximately 210 miles southwest of Dry Notebook.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1184falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-drank-saltwater-survived-61-hours-how-one-life-ring-solved-it--73079124
The first image is a dry life ring propped upright against a fence more than forty miles from the search area, yet the woman whose name was stenciled on it spent fifty-five hours on a burned hull with less than 0.25 liters of water. How did a chain of small, separate decisions - a retired fisherman's map, a teenager's photo, a coordinator's persistence - add up to a rescue that began with a single life ring?

In this episode, we tell the full sequence of events from the last log entry through the fire, the abandon, and the long wait for rescue, describing who did what and when to change the outcome. What specific moments and missed chances made sixty-one hours between fire and rescue possible?

Person: Beverly Petersen
Vessel: Meridian Two
Date: September 6-9
Location: Harker's Inlet / Ocracoke Inlet area
Duration: 61 hours

- At 11:47 PM on September 6 the last log entry noted “Smell of something electrical. Dennis checking the port engine compartment.”
- The port-engine fuel return line had been misting diesel for nine hours before fire entered the forward cabin at ~midnight on September 7.
- Beverly went over the side with a ditch bag containing a handheld VHF, two flares, a mylar blanket, partial energy bars, and a 1-liter bottle that was three-quarters full.
- Beverly held the anchor chain and Dennis’s wrist for approximately 20 minutes before reboarding the stern grid as the starboard-side fire dropped.
- The life ring found by a fourteen-year-old Melissa Ford at 6:40 AM on September 9 had traveled over 40 miles and rested dry during a brief dew-free window.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079124Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Drank Saltwater, Survived 61 Hours - How One Life Ring Solved It The first image is a dry life ring propped upright against a fence more than forty miles from the search area, yet the woman whose name was stenciled on it spent fifty-five hours...
The first image is a dry life ring propped upright against a fence more than forty miles from the search area, yet the woman whose name was stenciled on it spent fifty-five hours on a burned hull with less than 0.25 liters of water. How did a chain of small, separate decisions - a retired fisherman's map, a teenager's photo, a coordinator's persistence - add up to a rescue that began with a single life ring?

In this episode, we tell the full sequence of events from the last log entry through the fire, the abandon, and the long wait for rescue, describing who did what and when to change the outcome. What specific moments and missed chances made sixty-one hours between fire and rescue possible?

Person: Beverly Petersen
Vessel: Meridian Two
Date: September 6-9
Location: Harker's Inlet / Ocracoke Inlet area
Duration: 61 hours

- At 11:47 PM on September 6 the last log entry noted “Smell of something electrical. Dennis checking the port engine compartment.”
- The port-engine fuel return line had been misting diesel for nine hours before fire entered the forward cabin at ~midnight on September 7.
- Beverly went over the side with a ditch bag containing a handheld VHF, two flares, a mylar blanket, partial energy bars, and a 1-liter bottle that was three-quarters full.
- Beverly held the anchor chain and Dennis’s wrist for approximately 20 minutes before reboarding the stern grid as the starboard-side fire dropped.
- The life ring found by a fourteen-year-old Melissa Ford at 6:40 AM on September 9 had traveled over 40 miles and rested dry during a brief dew-free window.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1092falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-behind-at-sea-the-epirb-found-twelve-miles-inland--73079123
A rusted orange EPIRB, crusted with salt and sand, turned up more than twelve miles from the coast while its owner had been home for eleven days - how did a beacon that should signal rescue end up abandoned inland? If a seasoned sailor tested his beacon, serviced his life raft, and left detailed float plans, what broke down during the thirty-one hours he spent trying to save his own boat?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine departure to a mast in the water and a stopped tracker, and we piece together the small, concrete failures and decisions that followed. What do the EPIRB, the car trunk with two forgotten bags, and a final GPS ping forty-one miles offshore reveal about those crucial hours?

Person: Earl Gardner
Date (departure): July 28
Date (found object): August 18
Location (last tracker): forty-one miles south-southwest of Ventura
Duration aboard boat after damage: 31 hours

- The EPIRB was found snagged against a cattle grate on a dirt service road more than twelve miles from the nearest coastline.
- Earl filed a float plan and left Moss Cove at 6:41 AM after loading two bags into his car trunk at 6:22 AM and walking back to the dock without them.
- The Audra Jean's tracker registered its last position at 11:14 AM, forty-one miles south-southwest of Ventura, then stopped.
- A microburst at approximately 12:41 PM caused the mast to come down, fouled the propeller, and opened a slow starboard breach in the topside.
- Earl stayed aboard and worked to save the boat for thirty-one hours, keeping a paper log that was later found water-damaged but largely legible.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079123Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Behind at Sea: The EPIRB Found Twelve Miles Inland A rusted orange EPIRB, crusted with salt and sand, turned up more than twelve miles from the coast while its owner had been home for eleven days - how did a beacon that should signal rescue...
A rusted orange EPIRB, crusted with salt and sand, turned up more than twelve miles from the coast while its owner had been home for eleven days - how did a beacon that should signal rescue end up abandoned inland? If a seasoned sailor tested his beacon, serviced his life raft, and left detailed float plans, what broke down during the thirty-one hours he spent trying to save his own boat?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine departure to a mast in the water and a stopped tracker, and we piece together the small, concrete failures and decisions that followed. What do the EPIRB, the car trunk with two forgotten bags, and a final GPS ping forty-one miles offshore reveal about those crucial hours?

Person: Earl Gardner
Date (departure): July 28
Date (found object): August 18
Location (last tracker): forty-one miles south-southwest of Ventura
Duration aboard boat after damage: 31 hours

- The EPIRB was found snagged against a cattle grate on a dirt service road more than twelve miles from the nearest coastline.
- Earl filed a float plan and left Moss Cove at 6:41 AM after loading two bags into his car trunk at 6:22 AM and walking back to the dock without them.
- The Audra Jean's tracker registered its last position at 11:14 AM, forty-one miles south-southwest of Ventura, then stopped.
- A microburst at approximately 12:41 PM caused the mast to come down, fouled the propeller, and opened a slow starboard breach in the topside.
- Earl stayed aboard and worked to save the boat for thirty-one hours, keeping a paper log that was later found water-damaged but largely legible.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1203falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-survived-thirteen-hours-the-card-that-kept-her-alive--73079122
The first thing Megan Berry found in the mud after two and a half inches of rain was a dry, laminated card with seven blue ballpoint stars and a note: "two forty-three degrees, hold it on your left shoulder, do not lose it." A woman named Teresa McCarthy spent thirteen hours and thirty-five minutes alone in the Gulf during a nighttime squall clutching that same card - how did handwriting on a scrap of laminate become the tether between life and survival?

In this episode, we tell the story of Teresa McCarthy from the night she went overboard to the morning she was brought ashore, following the weather, the decisions aboard the forty-two-foot sloop Carver's Rest, and the note that never got wet. What did Teresa write in the dark, and why did that card matter for her survival?

Person: Teresa McCarthy
Age: 24
Vessel: 42-foot sloop Carver's Rest
Duration in water: 13 hours and 35 minutes
Date of departure call to mother: July 18, 2017 at 6:03 PM

- The card Megan found had seven stars drawn in blue ballpoint pen and the handwritten note "two forty-three degrees, hold it on your left shoulder, do not lose it" signed T. McCarthy.
- Two and a half inches of rain had fallen over the previous 48 hours at the spot where the card was recovered, yet the card was completely dry and unsmeared.
- Teresa went over the port rail at approximately 1:00 AM on July 20, 2017 after a forced jibe during a squall; Nick Alvarez called MAYDAY at 1:47 AM on Channel 16.
- A rescue helicopter deposited a barely conscious Teresa at a Pensacola Beach boat ramp three days earlier, with severe dehydration and mild burns across her neck and both forearms, and she was still holding the card.
- The squall line that caught Carver's Rest was moving north-northeast at approximately 30 knots and had organized along a convergence zone that forecast models failed to resolve.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079122Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Survived Thirteen Hours: The Card That Kept Her Alive The first thing Megan Berry found in the mud after two and a half inches of rain was a dry, laminated card with seven blue ballpoint stars and a note: "two forty-three degrees, hold it on...
The first thing Megan Berry found in the mud after two and a half inches of rain was a dry, laminated card with seven blue ballpoint stars and a note: "two forty-three degrees, hold it on your left shoulder, do not lose it." A woman named Teresa McCarthy spent thirteen hours and thirty-five minutes alone in the Gulf during a nighttime squall clutching that same card - how did handwriting on a scrap of laminate become the tether between life and survival?

In this episode, we tell the story of Teresa McCarthy from the night she went overboard to the morning she was brought ashore, following the weather, the decisions aboard the forty-two-foot sloop Carver's Rest, and the note that never got wet. What did Teresa write in the dark, and why did that card matter for her survival?

Person: Teresa McCarthy
Age: 24
Vessel: 42-foot sloop Carver's Rest
Duration in water: 13 hours and 35 minutes
Date of departure call to mother: July 18, 2017 at 6:03 PM

- The card Megan found had seven stars drawn in blue ballpoint pen and the handwritten note "two forty-three degrees, hold it on your left shoulder, do not lose it" signed T. McCarthy.
- Two and a half inches of rain had fallen over the previous 48 hours at the spot where the card was recovered, yet the card was completely dry and unsmeared.
- Teresa went over the port rail at approximately 1:00 AM on July 20, 2017 after a forced jibe during a squall; Nick Alvarez called MAYDAY at 1:47 AM on Channel 16.
- A rescue helicopter deposited a barely conscious Teresa at a Pensacola Beach boat ramp three days earlier, with severe dehydration and mild burns across her neck and both forearms, and she was still holding the card.
- The squall line that caught Carver's Rest was moving north-northeast at approximately 30 knots and had organized along a convergence zone that forecast models failed to resolve.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1248falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-raft-with-the-unspilled-glass-how-kathleen-survived-four-days-at-sea--73079121
A sunlit seawall jog discovers an orange life raft with a heavy-bottomed glass filled to within half an inch - unspilled after days at sea - a single detail that did not fit the physics of a four-day drift. What did that still glass, found at Pelican Point on June 14, reveal about the four and a half days that nearly erased Kathleen Richardson?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Kathleen Richardson’s departure from Tillman’s Marina on June 10 at 18:45 through the sparse signals that triggered a search, tracing reports from a crab captain, a SAR coordinator, and a diver who recovered evidence from forty feet of water; what do those fragments together tell us about what happened offshore?

Person: Kathleen Richardson
Date: June 10, 2019 (departure) / June 14, 2019 (raft found)
Location: Tillman's Marina departure; Pelican Point seawall discovery
Vessel: 37-foot cutter-rigged passage maker named Anise
Recovered item: Fuel tank from 40 feet of water

- Kathleen departed Tillman’s Marina at 18:45 on June 10, 2019, bound for Cueva Bank, ~60 nautical miles SSE.
- Beverly Ford found the orange life raft under the Pelican Point seawall at 05:50 on June 14 with a heavy-bottomed glass filled to within 0.5 inches of the rim.
- Tom Greer logged finding an orange throwable cushion stenciled “A-N” while running his crab boat west-southwest of Marker Island and reported it to Marine Patrol that afternoon.
- Allen Pruitt last saw Kathleen wave as Anise cleared the dock and noted she missed a scheduled arrival and a 21:00 Wednesday call with her daughter Megan.
- A diver recovered a fuel tank from 40 feet of water in the northern reaches of Crescent Passage, evidence later tied to a squall that hit within 2-3 hours after Kathleen’s departure.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079121Sun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Raft with the Unspilled Glass: How Kathleen Survived Four Days at Sea A sunlit seawall jog discovers an orange life raft with a heavy-bottomed glass filled to within half an inch - unspilled after days at sea - a single detail that did not fit...
A sunlit seawall jog discovers an orange life raft with a heavy-bottomed glass filled to within half an inch - unspilled after days at sea - a single detail that did not fit the physics of a four-day drift. What did that still glass, found at Pelican Point on June 14, reveal about the four and a half days that nearly erased Kathleen Richardson?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Kathleen Richardson’s departure from Tillman’s Marina on June 10 at 18:45 through the sparse signals that triggered a search, tracing reports from a crab captain, a SAR coordinator, and a diver who recovered evidence from forty feet of water; what do those fragments together tell us about what happened offshore?

Person: Kathleen Richardson
Date: June 10, 2019 (departure) / June 14, 2019 (raft found)
Location: Tillman's Marina departure; Pelican Point seawall discovery
Vessel: 37-foot cutter-rigged passage maker named Anise
Recovered item: Fuel tank from 40 feet of water

- Kathleen departed Tillman’s Marina at 18:45 on June 10, 2019, bound for Cueva Bank, ~60 nautical miles SSE.
- Beverly Ford found the orange life raft under the Pelican Point seawall at 05:50 on June 14 with a heavy-bottomed glass filled to within 0.5 inches of the rim.
- Tom Greer logged finding an orange throwable cushion stenciled “A-N” while running his crab boat west-southwest of Marker Island and reported it to Marine Patrol that afternoon.
- Allen Pruitt last saw Kathleen wave as Anise cleared the dock and noted she missed a scheduled arrival and a 21:00 Wednesday call with her daughter Megan.
- A diver recovered a fuel tank from 40 feet of water in the northern reaches of Crescent Passage, evidence later tied to a squall that hit within 2-3 hours after Kathleen’s departure.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1137falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-pink-sneaker-how-a-calm-night-became-a-deadly-wall--73079120
A single dry size four pink sneaker sat on an overturned hull that had been underwater for seventeen hours - a startling, concrete sign that a routine evening had become a disaster. What unfolded between a calm departure and a sudden wall of wind that hit in less than ninety seconds, leaving twenty-two people in cold water, did not make sense until nine days later; how did that shoe end up dry on a sunken hull?

In this episode, we hear the timeline from departure at Kellam Inlet through the sudden weather collapse and the immediate aftermath, following crew and chaperones as the Marta Louise capsized and survivors fought to stay alive - can a perfect system fail that quickly?

Date: May 14, 2019
Location: Kellam Inlet
Person: Darlene Gardner
Event: Capsizing of the Marta Louise
Number aboard: 22

- The Marta Louise left Kellam Inlet at 6:55 PM with 14 children aged six to eleven and 6 adult chaperones.
- Wind increased from 12 knots at 7:39 PM to 31 knots four minutes later, a change that struck as a wall.
- The hull had been underwater for 17 hours when Teresa Casey found the dry sneaker at 7:42 AM on May 14.
- Water temperature that evening was 53 degrees Fahrenheit.
- From first contact with the leading wave to the hull rolling past the point of no return was less than 90 seconds.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079120Sat, 05 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Pink Sneaker: How a Calm Night Became a Deadly Wall A single dry size four pink sneaker sat on an overturned hull that had been underwater for seventeen hours - a startling, concrete sign that a routine evening had become a disaster. What...
A single dry size four pink sneaker sat on an overturned hull that had been underwater for seventeen hours - a startling, concrete sign that a routine evening had become a disaster. What unfolded between a calm departure and a sudden wall of wind that hit in less than ninety seconds, leaving twenty-two people in cold water, did not make sense until nine days later; how did that shoe end up dry on a sunken hull?

In this episode, we hear the timeline from departure at Kellam Inlet through the sudden weather collapse and the immediate aftermath, following crew and chaperones as the Marta Louise capsized and survivors fought to stay alive - can a perfect system fail that quickly?

Date: May 14, 2019
Location: Kellam Inlet
Person: Darlene Gardner
Event: Capsizing of the Marta Louise
Number aboard: 22

- The Marta Louise left Kellam Inlet at 6:55 PM with 14 children aged six to eleven and 6 adult chaperones.
- Wind increased from 12 knots at 7:39 PM to 31 knots four minutes later, a change that struck as a wall.
- The hull had been underwater for 17 hours when Teresa Casey found the dry sneaker at 7:42 AM on May 14.
- Water temperature that evening was 53 degrees Fahrenheit.
- From first contact with the leading wave to the hull rolling past the point of no return was less than 90 seconds.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>987falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-logbook-why-monica-sailed-past-the-continental-shelf--73079118
A dry notebook washed up forty yards off Crane Harbor, Georgia, after four inches of rain and a breakwater went under - yet the red spiral logbook and its pen were bone dry, sealed in a zip-lock with orange paracord. Inside were twelve days at sea: barometric readings, repeated entries that read "just need to get past the shelf," and a storm that dismasted the Celia Rose ninety-three miles offshore; why had Monica Hall sailed east-northeast into open ocean when her filed float plan showed a coastal trip?

In this episode, we tell what the notebook recorded and how those entries fit the known facts of Monica Hall's life and voyage, from her Parkinson's diagnosis to the dismasting and lost EPIRB - and we ask the central question left by the evidence: what drove her to go past the continental shelf?

Person: Monica Hall
Date: April 29, 2019 (notebook found)
Location: Forty yards off the east breakwater at Crane Harbor, Georgia
Event: Dismasting of the Celia Rose ninety-three miles offshore
Status: Notebook recovered; no boat or debris field found

- The notebook was found dry and sealed in a zip-lock with orange paracord forty yards off the east breakwater.
- Four inches of rain fell in the seventy-two hours before the notebook was found, and the breakwater went under at high tide the night before.
- Monica filed a float plan for a four-day coastal passage to Cumberland Sound but actually headed east-northeast into open ocean.
- The Celia Rose was dismasted during a storm when winds climbed to forty-two knots and a rogue wave caused an uncontrolled jibe.
- The EPIRB's mounting bracket sheared during the knockdown and the emergency beacon was lost with the rigging.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079118Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Logbook: Why Monica Sailed Past the Continental Shelf A dry notebook washed up forty yards off Crane Harbor, Georgia, after four inches of rain and a breakwater went under - yet the red spiral logbook and its pen were bone dry, sealed in a...
A dry notebook washed up forty yards off Crane Harbor, Georgia, after four inches of rain and a breakwater went under - yet the red spiral logbook and its pen were bone dry, sealed in a zip-lock with orange paracord. Inside were twelve days at sea: barometric readings, repeated entries that read "just need to get past the shelf," and a storm that dismasted the Celia Rose ninety-three miles offshore; why had Monica Hall sailed east-northeast into open ocean when her filed float plan showed a coastal trip?

In this episode, we tell what the notebook recorded and how those entries fit the known facts of Monica Hall's life and voyage, from her Parkinson's diagnosis to the dismasting and lost EPIRB - and we ask the central question left by the evidence: what drove her to go past the continental shelf?

Person: Monica Hall
Date: April 29, 2019 (notebook found)
Location: Forty yards off the east breakwater at Crane Harbor, Georgia
Event: Dismasting of the Celia Rose ninety-three miles offshore
Status: Notebook recovered; no boat or debris field found

- The notebook was found dry and sealed in a zip-lock with orange paracord forty yards off the east breakwater.
- Four inches of rain fell in the seventy-two hours before the notebook was found, and the breakwater went under at high tide the night before.
- Monica filed a float plan for a four-day coastal passage to Cumberland Sound but actually headed east-northeast into open ocean.
- The Celia Rose was dismasted during a storm when winds climbed to forty-two knots and a rogue wave caused an uncontrolled jibe.
- The EPIRB's mounting bracket sheared during the knockdown and the emergency beacon was lost with the rigging.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1072falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-was-found-alive-but-her-note-said-searchers-looked-wrong-way--73079117
The discovery of a yellow oilskin jacket with a folded handwritten note dated fourteen days earlier shattered a search that had burned one hundred and twelve hours and six days looking in the wrong body of water; how did an EPIRB, a repaired GPS module, and a last-test position send the Coast Guard miles off course? Why did Pamela Casey’s clipped paper-towel note, written in the first hour after the trawler sank, point to a compass heading the search never followed?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from departure to rescue: the Marsh Ledger’s float plan, the EPIRB transmission, and the moment the life raft’s note was found - and we ask whether routine equipment and a single firmware flaw redirected an entire search operation.

Person: Pamela Casey
Vessel: Marsh Ledger
Date: March 3-5 (departure March 3; last transmission March 5)
Event: EPIRB transmitted last-tested dock position instead of live position
Location: Wanchese fuel dock (last test position) vs. forty miles offshore southeast of the Outer Banks

- The handwritten note was dated fourteen days earlier and was folded once inside the oilskin jacket’s breast pocket.
- The Marsh Ledger departed at 05:50 with a float plan specifying forty miles offshore, return expected March 6.
- The EPIRB had been serviced fourteen months earlier and its GPS module replaced with a refurbished component containing a known firmware flaw.
- At 06:22 on March 5 the Marsh Ledger transmitted two words on Channel 16: "going over," followed by static and no further transmissions.
- The Coast Guard conducted six days of searching with four aircraft and two cutters, totaling 112 search hours, around thirty-eight miles southeast of Oregon Inlet.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079117Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Was Found Alive - But Her Note Said Searchers Looked Wrong Way The discovery of a yellow oilskin jacket with a folded handwritten note dated fourteen days earlier shattered a search that had burned one hundred and twelve hours and six days...
The discovery of a yellow oilskin jacket with a folded handwritten note dated fourteen days earlier shattered a search that had burned one hundred and twelve hours and six days looking in the wrong body of water; how did an EPIRB, a repaired GPS module, and a last-test position send the Coast Guard miles off course? Why did Pamela Casey’s clipped paper-towel note, written in the first hour after the trawler sank, point to a compass heading the search never followed?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from departure to rescue: the Marsh Ledger’s float plan, the EPIRB transmission, and the moment the life raft’s note was found - and we ask whether routine equipment and a single firmware flaw redirected an entire search operation.

Person: Pamela Casey
Vessel: Marsh Ledger
Date: March 3-5 (departure March 3; last transmission March 5)
Event: EPIRB transmitted last-tested dock position instead of live position
Location: Wanchese fuel dock (last test position) vs. forty miles offshore southeast of the Outer Banks

- The handwritten note was dated fourteen days earlier and was folded once inside the oilskin jacket’s breast pocket.
- The Marsh Ledger departed at 05:50 with a float plan specifying forty miles offshore, return expected March 6.
- The EPIRB had been serviced fourteen months earlier and its GPS module replaced with a refurbished component containing a known firmware flaw.
- At 06:22 on March 5 the Marsh Ledger transmitted two words on Channel 16: "going over," followed by static and no further transmissions.
- The Coast Guard conducted six days of searching with four aircraft and two cutters, totaling 112 search hours, around thirty-eight miles southeast of Oregon Inlet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1158falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/object-opening-reserves-the-how-for-resolution--73079115
A woman found a running watch forty feet inland in a Georgia salt marsh - its second hand still sweeping and set exactly to the phone time Marvin Price checked at 6:22 a.m, on February 9, 2019. Thirty miles offshore, forty-six-knot wind and fifty-two-degree water four days earlier left a five-person boat inverted and only one survivor - how did that watch end up face-up in the cordgrass and what does its motion prove about those missing at sea?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the February 4 departure to the February 9 discovery and describe the equipment, decisions, and conditions surrounding the incident, closing on the single question that drives the narrative: did the running watch point to survival, loss, or something else entirely?

Date: February 4-9, 2019
Person: Kelly Coleman
Vessel: Meridian Cross
Location: thirty miles east-southeast of Ossabaw Island (inversion) / Calibogue Sound (watch found)
Condition: inverted hull, EPIRB submerged, no signaling devices

- Watch: stainless-steel dress watch, 17-millimeter case, white dial, brown leather band, Swiss quartz movement, running when found.
- Crew/passengers: five people aboard - Dennis Okafor (captain, 53), Kelly Coleman (crew, 28), Warren Holst, Debra Holst, Paul Senn.
- Wind/sea at capsize: northeast at 38 knots gusting to 46; water temperature 52°F.
- Survival setup: Kelly lashed herself tightly to inverted keel with a mainsheet each night and cycled movement each morning to maintain circulation.
- Discovery: Marvin Price found the watch face-up in salt grass 40 feet off the main channel at 6:22 a.m, on February 9, 2019.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079115Wed, 02 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at Obomediaobject; OPENING. Reserves the how for RESOLUTION A woman found a running watch forty feet inland in a Georgia salt marsh - its second hand still sweeping and set exactly to the phone time Marvin Price checked at 6:22 a.m, on February 9, 2019....
A woman found a running watch forty feet inland in a Georgia salt marsh - its second hand still sweeping and set exactly to the phone time Marvin Price checked at 6:22 a.m, on February 9, 2019. Thirty miles offshore, forty-six-knot wind and fifty-two-degree water four days earlier left a five-person boat inverted and only one survivor - how did that watch end up face-up in the cordgrass and what does its motion prove about those missing at sea?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the February 4 departure to the February 9 discovery and describe the equipment, decisions, and conditions surrounding the incident, closing on the single question that drives the narrative: did the running watch point to survival, loss, or something else entirely?

Date: February 4-9, 2019
Person: Kelly Coleman
Vessel: Meridian Cross
Location: thirty miles east-southeast of Ossabaw Island (inversion) / Calibogue Sound (watch found)
Condition: inverted hull, EPIRB submerged, no signaling devices

- Watch: stainless-steel dress watch, 17-millimeter case, white dial, brown leather band, Swiss quartz movement, running when found.
- Crew/passengers: five people aboard - Dennis Okafor (captain, 53), Kelly Coleman (crew, 28), Warren Holst, Debra Holst, Paul Senn.
- Wind/sea at capsize: northeast at 38 knots gusting to 46; water temperature 52°F.
- Survival setup: Kelly lashed herself tightly to inverted keel with a mainsheet each night and cycled movement each morning to maintain circulation.
- Discovery: Marvin Price found the watch face-up in salt grass 40 feet off the main channel at 6:22 a.m, on February 9, 2019.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1097falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/torn-pages-open-ocean-the-logbook-found-six-hundred-miles-inland--73079114
A bedsheet tied to a stern rail, a demasted sloop, and a logbook whose middle pages were torn out - how did a vessel’s most crucial navigational records vanish while the sailor who wrote them survived thirteen days alone? The missing five days and a logbook found nearly six hundred miles inland create a hole no one can close: what happened between the mast falling and the logbook’s discovery?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events recorded and unrecorded during Monica Donnelly’s solo ordeal, describing her preparations, the storm that broke her mast, the rescue, and the baffling discovery of her logbook in Kentucky - where the crucial entries were missing. How can five days of navigational data disappear from a document found far from the ocean?

Person: Monica Donnelly
Vessel: Perseverance, 38-foot brigantine
Date of incident: January 9-10 (mast failure and EPIRB activation)
Rescue distance from coast: 70 miles off the Carolina coast
Logbook discovery location: Harlan County, Kentucky, nearly 600 miles inland

- Monica was found dehydrated, hypothermic, and with a stress fracture in her left hand thirteen days after last being heard from.
- The Perseverance was drifting north at half a knot with a bedsheet tied to the stern as a flag when rescued.
- Monica’s logbook entries are precise with timestamps, GPS coordinates, barometric readings, sail configuration, and fuel reserve for each entry.
- On January 9 at 22:56 she recorded hearing the backstay fitting shear and later activated the EPIRB at 23:51.
- Five consecutive days of logbook entries containing critical navigational information were torn out before the book reached the person who could identify it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079114Tue, 01 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaTorn Pages, Open Ocean: The Logbook Found Six Hundred Miles Inland A bedsheet tied to a stern rail, a demasted sloop, and a logbook whose middle pages were torn out - how did a vessel’s most crucial navigational records vanish while the sailor who...
A bedsheet tied to a stern rail, a demasted sloop, and a logbook whose middle pages were torn out - how did a vessel’s most crucial navigational records vanish while the sailor who wrote them survived thirteen days alone? The missing five days and a logbook found nearly six hundred miles inland create a hole no one can close: what happened between the mast falling and the logbook’s discovery?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events recorded and unrecorded during Monica Donnelly’s solo ordeal, describing her preparations, the storm that broke her mast, the rescue, and the baffling discovery of her logbook in Kentucky - where the crucial entries were missing. How can five days of navigational data disappear from a document found far from the ocean?

Person: Monica Donnelly
Vessel: Perseverance, 38-foot brigantine
Date of incident: January 9-10 (mast failure and EPIRB activation)
Rescue distance from coast: 70 miles off the Carolina coast
Logbook discovery location: Harlan County, Kentucky, nearly 600 miles inland

- Monica was found dehydrated, hypothermic, and with a stress fracture in her left hand thirteen days after last being heard from.
- The Perseverance was drifting north at half a knot with a bedsheet tied to the stern as a flag when rescued.
- Monica’s logbook entries are precise with timestamps, GPS coordinates, barometric readings, sail configuration, and fuel reserve for each entry.
- On January 9 at 22:56 she recorded hearing the backstay fitting shear and later activated the EPIRB at 23:51.
- Five consecutive days of logbook entries containing critical navigational information were torn out before the book reached the person who could identify it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1336falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/bailey-s-current-lost-cooler-one-watch-two-dead-26-hours--73079112
Cold saltwater, a running watch, and four words scratched into steel: Stay on the line. A 22-year-old clings to an overturned cooler while two crewmembers die and a hidden lateral current called the Pull drags a 32-foot center-console off course-how did a routine 40-minute run turn into a 26-hour fight for survival?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Pelican Dream’s December 11-12 crossing, the people on board, and the ocean conditions they faced, following the moments from departure through the first 26 hours to the discovery of a running Casio G-Shock; what did those four words mean and who wrote them?

Person: Craig Bailey
Person: Frank Hester
Person: Donna Kephart
Date: December 11-14, 2019
Location: Harrow Key to Sable Shoal crossing

- The Pelican Dream left Harrow Key marina at 6:45 PM on December 11, 2019.
- The boat capsized approximately eight minutes after departure, around 6:53 PM.
- Craig Bailey, age 22, floated on an overturned cooler for about 26 hours.
- The water temperature was 58°F during the incident.
- On the morning of December 14, Randy White found a Casio G-Shock watch with “Stay on the line” scratched into its steel back.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079112Mon, 31 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBailey's Current: Lost Cooler, One Watch, Two Dead, 26 Hours Cold saltwater, a running watch, and four words scratched into steel: Stay on the line. A 22-year-old clings to an overturned cooler while two crewmembers die and a hidden lateral current...
Cold saltwater, a running watch, and four words scratched into steel: Stay on the line. A 22-year-old clings to an overturned cooler while two crewmembers die and a hidden lateral current called the Pull drags a 32-foot center-console off course-how did a routine 40-minute run turn into a 26-hour fight for survival?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Pelican Dream’s December 11-12 crossing, the people on board, and the ocean conditions they faced, following the moments from departure through the first 26 hours to the discovery of a running Casio G-Shock; what did those four words mean and who wrote them?

Person: Craig Bailey
Person: Frank Hester
Person: Donna Kephart
Date: December 11-14, 2019
Location: Harrow Key to Sable Shoal crossing

- The Pelican Dream left Harrow Key marina at 6:45 PM on December 11, 2019.
- The boat capsized approximately eight minutes after departure, around 6:53 PM.
- Craig Bailey, age 22, floated on an overturned cooler for about 26 hours.
- The water temperature was 58°F during the incident.
- On the morning of December 14, Randy White found a Casio G-Shock watch with “Stay on the line” scratched into its steel back.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1153falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-survived-82-hours-the-notebook-that-shouldn-t-have-been-standing--73079111
The notebook was standing upright in eight inches of water - spine down, pages dry above the line - a detail that helped locate a woman who drifted alone for 82 hours with only two liters of water and a pen. How did an EPIRB send coordinates nineteen nautical miles off and what cost Teresa Ann Ann every hour she stayed alive?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Teresa leaving Carrabelle Marina to the failed search that missed her by miles, following the timeline, the equipment failures, and the small human choices that shaped a three-day survival story. What does the notebook reveal about those hours and the single mistake that sent rescuers the wrong way?

Person: Teresa Ann Ann
Date: November 9-11, 2019
Location: Apalachee Bay (approximate drift northeast of EPIRB coordinates)
Vessel: Soledad Azul, 31-foot sloop
Device: Category One EPIRB with corrupted position data

- Teresa left Carrabelle Marina at 6:50 a.m. on November 9 wearing an orange jacket and motoring out alone.
- Her last text to neighbor Hank Reese was sent at 9:17 p.m, on November 8, noting fish food location.
- The EPIRB transmitted a strong signal around 1:30 a.m. on November 11 that was 19 nautical miles incorrect.
- Rescue assets were dispatched at 3:30 a.m. on November 11 toward coordinates 29°41′N, 84°18′W and searched empty water nine times.
- Teresa survived 82 hours on a life raft with two one-liter bottles of water, a handheld compass, a spiral notebook, and a ballpoint pen.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079111Sun, 30 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Survived 82 Hours: The Notebook That Shouldn't Have Been Standing The notebook was standing upright in eight inches of water - spine down, pages dry above the line - a detail that helped locate a woman who drifted alone for 82 hours with only...
The notebook was standing upright in eight inches of water - spine down, pages dry above the line - a detail that helped locate a woman who drifted alone for 82 hours with only two liters of water and a pen. How did an EPIRB send coordinates nineteen nautical miles off and what cost Teresa Ann Ann every hour she stayed alive?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Teresa leaving Carrabelle Marina to the failed search that missed her by miles, following the timeline, the equipment failures, and the small human choices that shaped a three-day survival story. What does the notebook reveal about those hours and the single mistake that sent rescuers the wrong way?

Person: Teresa Ann Ann
Date: November 9-11, 2019
Location: Apalachee Bay (approximate drift northeast of EPIRB coordinates)
Vessel: Soledad Azul, 31-foot sloop
Device: Category One EPIRB with corrupted position data

- Teresa left Carrabelle Marina at 6:50 a.m. on November 9 wearing an orange jacket and motoring out alone.
- Her last text to neighbor Hank Reese was sent at 9:17 p.m, on November 8, noting fish food location.
- The EPIRB transmitted a strong signal around 1:30 a.m. on November 11 that was 19 nautical miles incorrect.
- Rescue assets were dispatched at 3:30 a.m. on November 11 toward coordinates 29°41′N, 84°18′W and searched empty water nine times.
- Teresa survived 82 hours on a life raft with two one-liter bottles of water, a handheld compass, a spiral notebook, and a ballpoint pen.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1136falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-recorder-that-drifted-how-a-lost-tape-found-her-alive--73079110
Fear and astonishment meet on a Georgia shoreline: a fifteen-year-old paperboy finds a salt-crusted Sony recorder with its display still on, and a calm woman’s voice describing hammerhead feeding arcs plays from a tape that had been in the ocean for five days - yet that woman, sixty-two-year-old Julie Cooper, was alive in an orange life raft eleven miles south. How did a wrong EPIRB signal, drifting currents and a single lost recorder conspire to put rescuers in the wrong ocean - and what did that tape ultimately reveal about survival?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Cooper’s departure from Tybee Island Marina to the sinking of her boat Ardea and the days she spent in a life raft with only field notes and a recorder; we recount the search patterns driven by a mislocated EPIRB, the data Cooper logged while afloat, and the improbable discovery of the recorder that changed everything. What sequence of signals, choices and drift calculations sent searchers the wrong way?

Person: Julie Cooper
Date: October 13-19, 2011
Location: Tybee Island Marina; Morrow’s Landing, Georgia; roughly eleven miles south of Morrow’s Landing
Event: Ardea sank and Cooper deployed life raft; recorder found five days later
Status: Recorder found; Cooper alive in life raft at time recorder was recovered

- The Sony recorder had been in the ocean for five days and was found balanced upright between two stones before six a.m, on October 19, 2011.
- Julie Cooper was sixty-two years old and had spent thirty-one years cataloguing shark migration patterns prior to retiring to solo sailing.
- The Ardea sank in under four minutes around 12:30 a.m. on October 14, 2011, after its mast came down near 11:15 p.m. the previous night.
- Cooper carried two personal EPIRB beacons; the one clipped to her life jacket transmitted for approximately nineteen minutes before its battery died and returned a position roughly eighteen nautical miles northwest of the actual sinking.
- On October 12 at 9 p.m., Cooper called her daughter Trish reporting a bull shark had been following the Ardea for about an hour; that was the last time Trish heard her mother’s voice for seven days.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079110Sat, 29 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Recorder That Drifted: How a Lost Tape Found Her Alive Fear and astonishment meet on a Georgia shoreline: a fifteen-year-old paperboy finds a salt-crusted Sony recorder with its display still on, and a calm woman’s voice describing hammerhead...
Fear and astonishment meet on a Georgia shoreline: a fifteen-year-old paperboy finds a salt-crusted Sony recorder with its display still on, and a calm woman’s voice describing hammerhead feeding arcs plays from a tape that had been in the ocean for five days - yet that woman, sixty-two-year-old Julie Cooper, was alive in an orange life raft eleven miles south. How did a wrong EPIRB signal, drifting currents and a single lost recorder conspire to put rescuers in the wrong ocean - and what did that tape ultimately reveal about survival?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Cooper’s departure from Tybee Island Marina to the sinking of her boat Ardea and the days she spent in a life raft with only field notes and a recorder; we recount the search patterns driven by a mislocated EPIRB, the data Cooper logged while afloat, and the improbable discovery of the recorder that changed everything. What sequence of signals, choices and drift calculations sent searchers the wrong way?

Person: Julie Cooper
Date: October 13-19, 2011
Location: Tybee Island Marina; Morrow’s Landing, Georgia; roughly eleven miles south of Morrow’s Landing
Event: Ardea sank and Cooper deployed life raft; recorder found five days later
Status: Recorder found; Cooper alive in life raft at time recorder was recovered

- The Sony recorder had been in the ocean for five days and was found balanced upright between two stones before six a.m, on October 19, 2011.
- Julie Cooper was sixty-two years old and had spent thirty-one years cataloguing shark migration patterns prior to retiring to solo sailing.
- The Ardea sank in under four minutes around 12:30 a.m. on October 14, 2011, after its mast came down near 11:15 p.m. the previous night.
- Cooper carried two personal EPIRB beacons; the one clipped to her life jacket transmitted for approximately nineteen minutes before its battery died and returned a position roughly eighteen nautical miles northwest of the actual sinking.
- On October 12 at 9 p.m., Cooper called her daughter Trish reporting a bull shark had been following the Ardea for about an hour; that was the last time Trish heard her mother’s voice for seven days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1187falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-suit-on-the-road-how-three-sailors-vanished-at-sea--73079107
Fear arrived in the dark and cold: a dry suit zipped shut and bone-dry was found in a gravel road 47 miles from the nearest marina, and inside its pocket was a hand-drawn compass rose with a route heading northwest into open water - what last position did it mark for three people who sailed and never returned? What happened between a routine float plan and a williwaw that could snap a mast and end a voyage?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to the final hours on the life raft, laying out the choices and chance that shaped the outcome and asking how a single decision to change course sent the Albatross Reach into open water.

Person: Cheryl Norris
Person: Doug Pratt
Person: Tim Sato
Date: September 7-10, 2019
Location: 91 miles northwest of Ketchikan

- A dry suit was found at 06:40 on September 4, 2019, lying intact on an access road 11 kilometers outside Ketchikan.
- The dry suit was 47 miles from the nearest marina and contained a laminated card with a hand-drawn compass rose and a route heading northwest.
- The Albatross Reach departed Bar Harbor Marina, Ketchikan, on September 7, 2019, with expected duration 40 hours toward Prince Rupert but altered course northwest about six hours after departure.
- A williwaw struck after 22:00 on September 8, 2019, with winds up to 60 knots, causing mast failure and throwing Tim into the water.
- The Albatross Reach sank at approximately 23:00 on September 8, 2019, 91 miles northwest of Ketchikan; the three survivors occupied a life raft for six days and Doug Pratt died aboard before being placed overboard on the morning of September 10.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079107Fri, 28 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Suit on the Road: How Three Sailors Vanished at Sea Fear arrived in the dark and cold: a dry suit zipped shut and bone-dry was found in a gravel road 47 miles from the nearest marina, and inside its pocket was a hand-drawn compass rose with...
Fear arrived in the dark and cold: a dry suit zipped shut and bone-dry was found in a gravel road 47 miles from the nearest marina, and inside its pocket was a hand-drawn compass rose with a route heading northwest into open water - what last position did it mark for three people who sailed and never returned? What happened between a routine float plan and a williwaw that could snap a mast and end a voyage?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to the final hours on the life raft, laying out the choices and chance that shaped the outcome and asking how a single decision to change course sent the Albatross Reach into open water.

Person: Cheryl Norris
Person: Doug Pratt
Person: Tim Sato
Date: September 7-10, 2019
Location: 91 miles northwest of Ketchikan

- A dry suit was found at 06:40 on September 4, 2019, lying intact on an access road 11 kilometers outside Ketchikan.
- The dry suit was 47 miles from the nearest marina and contained a laminated card with a hand-drawn compass rose and a route heading northwest.
- The Albatross Reach departed Bar Harbor Marina, Ketchikan, on September 7, 2019, with expected duration 40 hours toward Prince Rupert but altered course northwest about six hours after departure.
- A williwaw struck after 22:00 on September 8, 2019, with winds up to 60 knots, causing mast failure and throwing Tim into the water.
- The Albatross Reach sank at approximately 23:00 on September 8, 2019, 91 miles northwest of Ketchikan; the three survivors occupied a life raft for six days and Doug Pratt died aboard before being placed overboard on the morning of September 10.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>937falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-nail-the-shoe-and-the-woman-lost-at-sea--73079106
A child's shoe nailed to a navigation buoy washed up seventy miles from where a woman was rescued after ninety-seven hours alone on a failing raft - and nobody could explain how it got there. The shoe belonged to someone else entirely and became the last thread in a search that spent three days looking in the wrong ocean; what exactly connected the shoe, the raft, and the missing boat?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning April Mitchell was pulled aboard a shrimping vessel to the later discovery of the shoe on a buoy, following the decisions, secrets, and errors that steered a multi-day search far from the truth. How did a float plan filed for a local trip, a secret ocean rally, and a canvas bag left in a cabin shape the rescue and the mystery that followed?

Person: April Mitchell
Date: August 19, 2017 (rescue morning)
Duration at sea: 97 hours
Vessel: Delia Anne (36-foot wooden ketch)
Location: 46 miles off Florida Panhandle (rescue); shoe found 70 miles from rescue

- April Mitchell was pulled aboard the shrimping vessel Esperanza Clara about 46 miles off the Florida Panhandle on the morning of August 19, 2017.
- She had been adrift on a raft for 97 hours and reported her name, her vessel identification number, and her sister’s name upon rescue.
- April filed a float plan on August 12 that stated she would sail to Carrabelle and return in two days, though she actually sailed toward the Yucatán Platform about 340 miles away.
- The Delia Anne had been rebuilt over four years by April and was a 36-foot wooden ketch she bought in 2013 from Robert Crane; a canvas bag belonging to Crane remained unopened in the forward cabin.
- A child's shoe was found nailed to a navigation buoy two days after the rescue, approximately 70 miles from where April was pulled from the water.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079106Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Nail, The Shoe, and the Woman Lost at Sea A child's shoe nailed to a navigation buoy washed up seventy miles from where a woman was rescued after ninety-seven hours alone on a failing raft - and nobody could explain how it got there. The shoe...
A child's shoe nailed to a navigation buoy washed up seventy miles from where a woman was rescued after ninety-seven hours alone on a failing raft - and nobody could explain how it got there. The shoe belonged to someone else entirely and became the last thread in a search that spent three days looking in the wrong ocean; what exactly connected the shoe, the raft, and the missing boat?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning April Mitchell was pulled aboard a shrimping vessel to the later discovery of the shoe on a buoy, following the decisions, secrets, and errors that steered a multi-day search far from the truth. How did a float plan filed for a local trip, a secret ocean rally, and a canvas bag left in a cabin shape the rescue and the mystery that followed?

Person: April Mitchell
Date: August 19, 2017 (rescue morning)
Duration at sea: 97 hours
Vessel: Delia Anne (36-foot wooden ketch)
Location: 46 miles off Florida Panhandle (rescue); shoe found 70 miles from rescue

- April Mitchell was pulled aboard the shrimping vessel Esperanza Clara about 46 miles off the Florida Panhandle on the morning of August 19, 2017.
- She had been adrift on a raft for 97 hours and reported her name, her vessel identification number, and her sister’s name upon rescue.
- April filed a float plan on August 12 that stated she would sail to Carrabelle and return in two days, though she actually sailed toward the Yucatán Platform about 340 miles away.
- The Delia Anne had been rebuilt over four years by April and was a 36-foot wooden ketch she bought in 2013 from Robert Crane; a canvas bag belonging to Crane remained unopened in the forward cabin.
- A child's shoe was found nailed to a navigation buoy two days after the rescue, approximately 70 miles from where April was pulled from the water.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1286falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-activated-the-beacon-why-36-hours-of-search-missed-her-raft--73079105
A pulsing red light on a barnacle-damp life vest promised a direct GPS fix; the EPIRB sent accurate coordinates to a NOAA satellite within minutes, but searchers spent thirty-six hours looking in the wrong place. How did a working emergency beacon lead rescuers away from a life raft forty-one nautical miles south-southwest of Dauphin Island?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from departure to the moment the mast punched through the hull, detailing the equipment, weather, and human actions that mattered, and asking how a correct signal could be misread or misattributed.

Person: Marie Fleming
Date: July 15-19, 2017
Location: 41 nautical miles south-southwest of the Dauphin Island sea buoy
Event: Structural failure of forestay chainplate and sinking of Maren T.
Status: EPIRB activated and transmitting accurate GPS coordinates

- Departure: Marie left on the afternoon of July 15, 2017, for a 350-nautical-mile passage from Pensacola to Clearwater.
- Last contact: Satellite messenger check-in at 22:14 on July 16, reporting position 43 nautical miles south-southwest of Dauphin Island and making 6.2 knots.
- Weather: Convective squall line with estimated gusts of 55-65 knots struck around 01:40 on July 17.
- Failure: Forestay chainplate failed during the second squall, the mast fell as one arc and punched through the hull below the starboard rail.
- Rescue signal: EPIRB activated by immersion around 03:40, transmitted a GPS position (41 nautical miles SSW of Dauphin Island) to a NOAA satellite within minutes.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079105Wed, 26 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Activated the Beacon - Why 36 Hours of Search Missed Her Raft A pulsing red light on a barnacle-damp life vest promised a direct GPS fix; the EPIRB sent accurate coordinates to a NOAA satellite within minutes, but searchers spent thirty-six...
A pulsing red light on a barnacle-damp life vest promised a direct GPS fix; the EPIRB sent accurate coordinates to a NOAA satellite within minutes, but searchers spent thirty-six hours looking in the wrong place. How did a working emergency beacon lead rescuers away from a life raft forty-one nautical miles south-southwest of Dauphin Island?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from departure to the moment the mast punched through the hull, detailing the equipment, weather, and human actions that mattered, and asking how a correct signal could be misread or misattributed.

Person: Marie Fleming
Date: July 15-19, 2017
Location: 41 nautical miles south-southwest of the Dauphin Island sea buoy
Event: Structural failure of forestay chainplate and sinking of Maren T.
Status: EPIRB activated and transmitting accurate GPS coordinates

- Departure: Marie left on the afternoon of July 15, 2017, for a 350-nautical-mile passage from Pensacola to Clearwater.
- Last contact: Satellite messenger check-in at 22:14 on July 16, reporting position 43 nautical miles south-southwest of Dauphin Island and making 6.2 knots.
- Weather: Convective squall line with estimated gusts of 55-65 knots struck around 01:40 on July 17.
- Failure: Forestay chainplate failed during the second squall, the mast fell as one arc and punched through the hull below the starboard rail.
- Rescue signal: EPIRB activated by immersion around 03:40, transmitted a GPS position (41 nautical miles SSW of Dauphin Island) to a NOAA satellite within minutes.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1059falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/compass-in-shrubs-how-a-lost-captain-s-lifeline-reached-florida-first--73079104
A small brass compass marked "JENNIFER DAVIS DAY SIX" washed ashore in Collier County, Florida, more than three thousand miles from where a fifty-two-year-old captain spent six days clinging to a piece of wood in the North Pacific - the object arrived before anyone on the mainland knew her name. How did a pocket compass travel that far and reach a Florida backyard before the wider story did?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the Marguerite Wren’s June 7 departure to the moment the compass was found, outlining what the voyage, the storm, and Jennifer Davis’s experience reveal about survival at sea and the odd trail an object can leave; can a single hand-sized instrument connect a lost captain to a distant shore?

Person: Jennifer Davis
Date: June 7-June 19, 2011
Location: North Pacific (incident) and Colby Creek, Collier County, Florida (compass found)
Event: Mast collapse, loss of instruments, six days adrift
Detail: Compass labeled "JENNIFER DAVIS DAY SIX" found in Brazilian pepper shrubs

- The Marguerite Wren departed Kodiak at 6:15 AM on June 7, 2011 for a 560-nautical-mile run to Juneau.
- A low-pressure cell intensified on June 8, producing sustained winds of 38 knots and seas up to 16 feet.
- Autopilot failed at 2:47 AM on June 9; four hours 26 minutes later the mast fell to port, destroying the VHF antenna and wind instruments.
- Jennifer Davis, age 52, had logged over 40,000 ocean miles and volunteered every Tuesday for nine years at Turnagain Pantry.
- A brass pocket compass in a torn vinyl sleeve with five words written in black marker was found by Wayne Carlson on June 19, 2011.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079104Tue, 25 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaCompass in Shrubs: How a Lost Captain's Lifeline Reached Florida First A small brass compass marked "JENNIFER DAVIS DAY SIX" washed ashore in Collier County, Florida, more than three thousand miles from where a fifty-two-year-old captain spent six...
A small brass compass marked "JENNIFER DAVIS DAY SIX" washed ashore in Collier County, Florida, more than three thousand miles from where a fifty-two-year-old captain spent six days clinging to a piece of wood in the North Pacific - the object arrived before anyone on the mainland knew her name. How did a pocket compass travel that far and reach a Florida backyard before the wider story did?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the Marguerite Wren’s June 7 departure to the moment the compass was found, outlining what the voyage, the storm, and Jennifer Davis’s experience reveal about survival at sea and the odd trail an object can leave; can a single hand-sized instrument connect a lost captain to a distant shore?

Person: Jennifer Davis
Date: June 7-June 19, 2011
Location: North Pacific (incident) and Colby Creek, Collier County, Florida (compass found)
Event: Mast collapse, loss of instruments, six days adrift
Detail: Compass labeled "JENNIFER DAVIS DAY SIX" found in Brazilian pepper shrubs

- The Marguerite Wren departed Kodiak at 6:15 AM on June 7, 2011 for a 560-nautical-mile run to Juneau.
- A low-pressure cell intensified on June 8, producing sustained winds of 38 knots and seas up to 16 feet.
- Autopilot failed at 2:47 AM on June 9; four hours 26 minutes later the mast fell to port, destroying the VHF antenna and wind instruments.
- Jennifer Davis, age 52, had logged over 40,000 ocean miles and volunteered every Tuesday for nine years at Turnagain Pantry.
- A brass pocket compass in a torn vinyl sleeve with five words written in black marker was found by Wayne Carlson on June 19, 2011.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1229falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-life-ring-silent-signal-how-sharon-survived-nineteen-days-at-sea--73079103
A single perfectly dry life ring stenciled Caridad del Mar appeared hanging at a public boat ramp eleven days after the sloop vanished - dry enough to prove it had never been in the ocean. That small, impossible detail set in motion the unravelling of a nineteen-day survival story that began with a wrong-gauge shackle and a storm; how did Sharon Gallagher stay alive alone at sea after her mast and radio were lost?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Sharon’s departure on April 29, 2011 through the storm that began May 2 and the discovery of the dry life ring on a Tuesday in the second week of May, tracing the mechanical failures, injuries and choices that kept her alive - and asking how a few small errors redirected an entire search.

Person: Sharon Gallagher
Date: April 29, 2011 (departure); May 2-4, 2011 (storm and failures)
Location: Palmetto Sound; Calhoun Beach public boat ramp
Vessel: Caridad del Mar, 32-foot sloop, purchased for $42,000
Finder: Kenneth O'Connor, Tuesday morning in the second week of May

- Sharon left Palmetto Sound on April 29, 2011 planning a three-week solo passage and cast off at 6:00 p.m.
- The storm produced 12-foot seas by midnight on May 2, 2011, about fifty miles offshore.
- A wrong-gauge safety wire on a shackle vibrated loose, and the storm anchor broke free in the early hours of May 3, 2011, causing the boat to drift southwest at roughly three knots.
- The mast came down by 0400 on May 4, 2011; Sharon spent 90 minutes cutting rigging free and sustained two broken ribs and a gash on her left forearm that later became infected.
- A long-range radio was lost with the mast, leaving Sharon without that means of communication until the dry life ring’s discovery on the Calhoun Beach ramp.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079103Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Life Ring, Silent Signal: How Sharon Survived Nineteen Days at Sea A single perfectly dry life ring stenciled Caridad del Mar appeared hanging at a public boat ramp eleven days after the sloop vanished - dry enough to prove it had never been in...
A single perfectly dry life ring stenciled Caridad del Mar appeared hanging at a public boat ramp eleven days after the sloop vanished - dry enough to prove it had never been in the ocean. That small, impossible detail set in motion the unravelling of a nineteen-day survival story that began with a wrong-gauge shackle and a storm; how did Sharon Gallagher stay alive alone at sea after her mast and radio were lost?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Sharon’s departure on April 29, 2011 through the storm that began May 2 and the discovery of the dry life ring on a Tuesday in the second week of May, tracing the mechanical failures, injuries and choices that kept her alive - and asking how a few small errors redirected an entire search.

Person: Sharon Gallagher
Date: April 29, 2011 (departure); May 2-4, 2011 (storm and failures)
Location: Palmetto Sound; Calhoun Beach public boat ramp
Vessel: Caridad del Mar, 32-foot sloop, purchased for $42,000
Finder: Kenneth O'Connor, Tuesday morning in the second week of May

- Sharon left Palmetto Sound on April 29, 2011 planning a three-week solo passage and cast off at 6:00 p.m.
- The storm produced 12-foot seas by midnight on May 2, 2011, about fifty miles offshore.
- A wrong-gauge safety wire on a shackle vibrated loose, and the storm anchor broke free in the early hours of May 3, 2011, causing the boat to drift southwest at roughly three knots.
- The mast came down by 0400 on May 4, 2011; Sharon spent 90 minutes cutting rigging free and sustained two broken ribs and a gash on her left forearm that later became infected.
- A long-range radio was lost with the mast, leaving Sharon without that means of communication until the dry life ring’s discovery on the Calhoun Beach ramp.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1063falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boat-that-came-back-without-its-owner-a-two-day-ghost-drift--73079102
A drifting 32-foot cruiser returned to shore with its engine running, navigation lights on, and a pot of warm black bean soup in the galley - but no person aboard. How did a warm pot, a deliberately cut painter line, and a missing EPIRB with its latch closed point searchers to a man presumed lost at sea?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the boat’s last log entry to the Coast Guard’s search, outlining the evidence found aboard Marisol B. and the decision that changed the operation’s course. What did Roy Hoffman do, and how did one coordinator deduce where he was before it was too late?

Person: Roy Hoffman
Date: April 8-9, 2019
Location: Islamorada, Florida / Pelican Bank
Vessel: Marisol B., 1997 Bayliner, 32 feet
Coordinator: Diane Stein

- The cruiser was circling about 80 yards off shore at 6:40 AM on April 9, 2019.
- A pot of black bean soup in the galley was warm to the touch when Coast Guard boarding officer Pete Salcedo checked it.
- Roy’s logbook recorded approximately 40 gallons of fuel at 11:30 AM on April 8; the fuel gauge read 6 gallons when the boat was boarded.
- About three inches of the painter line remained, with a clean diagonal cut at the end indicating it was deliberately severed.
- The EPIRB was missing from its bracket while the retaining latch was found closed as if it had been removed and replaced by hand.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079102Sun, 23 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boat That Came Back Without Its Owner: A Two-Day Ghost Drift A drifting 32-foot cruiser returned to shore with its engine running, navigation lights on, and a pot of warm black bean soup in the galley - but no person aboard. How did a warm pot,...
A drifting 32-foot cruiser returned to shore with its engine running, navigation lights on, and a pot of warm black bean soup in the galley - but no person aboard. How did a warm pot, a deliberately cut painter line, and a missing EPIRB with its latch closed point searchers to a man presumed lost at sea?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the boat’s last log entry to the Coast Guard’s search, outlining the evidence found aboard Marisol B. and the decision that changed the operation’s course. What did Roy Hoffman do, and how did one coordinator deduce where he was before it was too late?

Person: Roy Hoffman
Date: April 8-9, 2019
Location: Islamorada, Florida / Pelican Bank
Vessel: Marisol B., 1997 Bayliner, 32 feet
Coordinator: Diane Stein

- The cruiser was circling about 80 yards off shore at 6:40 AM on April 9, 2019.
- A pot of black bean soup in the galley was warm to the touch when Coast Guard boarding officer Pete Salcedo checked it.
- Roy’s logbook recorded approximately 40 gallons of fuel at 11:30 AM on April 8; the fuel gauge read 6 gallons when the boat was boarded.
- About three inches of the painter line remained, with a clean diagonal cut at the end indicating it was deliberately severed.
- The EPIRB was missing from its bracket while the retaining latch was found closed as if it had been removed and replaced by hand.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>975falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-bag-drifting-notebook-how-a-red-log-found-its-sailor--73079101
A waterproof red spiral notebook sealed inside a clear plastic bag washed up perfectly dry on a trotline - after spending days in the Gulf of Mexico and surviving night squalls and open chop. How did a bagged notebook cross that distance intact, and could a failed knot and one man’s log become the thread that found another man at sea?

In this episode, we follow the March 2019 voyage that split two experienced sailors apart after a sudden squall, the search that missed its mark for eight days, and the unexpected role a sealed Day Log played in the unfolding rescue question.

Person: George Schultz
Person: Dennis Haig
Date: March 7-14, 2019
Location: Gulf of Mexico, launched from Apalachicola
Item: Red spiral notebook in a galley zip-lock bag

- At 06:00 on March 14, 2019, fisherwoman Cynthia Wells pulled a perfectly dry red spiral notebook in a clear plastic bag from shallow water off Merritt Flats.
- George Schultz was 54 years old, a marine diesel mechanic from Palatka, who packed 1.5 liters of water, 3 energy bars, a waterproof flashlight, and the red notebook.
- On March 7, 2019, George and Dennis launched two Laser-class dinghies about 90 nautical miles toward Panama City under a small-craft advisory.
- A squall at 23:00 caused winds to jump from 14 knots to over 40 knots, capsizing both boats and driving the sailors in opposite directions.
- George spent 40 minutes in the water righting his hull, then logged wind direction, heading, and sail condition in the sealed notebook by first light on March 8.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079101Sat, 22 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Bag, Drifting Notebook: How a Red Log Found Its Sailor A waterproof red spiral notebook sealed inside a clear plastic bag washed up perfectly dry on a trotline - after spending days in the Gulf of Mexico and surviving night squalls and open...
A waterproof red spiral notebook sealed inside a clear plastic bag washed up perfectly dry on a trotline - after spending days in the Gulf of Mexico and surviving night squalls and open chop. How did a bagged notebook cross that distance intact, and could a failed knot and one man’s log become the thread that found another man at sea?

In this episode, we follow the March 2019 voyage that split two experienced sailors apart after a sudden squall, the search that missed its mark for eight days, and the unexpected role a sealed Day Log played in the unfolding rescue question.

Person: George Schultz
Person: Dennis Haig
Date: March 7-14, 2019
Location: Gulf of Mexico, launched from Apalachicola
Item: Red spiral notebook in a galley zip-lock bag

- At 06:00 on March 14, 2019, fisherwoman Cynthia Wells pulled a perfectly dry red spiral notebook in a clear plastic bag from shallow water off Merritt Flats.
- George Schultz was 54 years old, a marine diesel mechanic from Palatka, who packed 1.5 liters of water, 3 energy bars, a waterproof flashlight, and the red notebook.
- On March 7, 2019, George and Dennis launched two Laser-class dinghies about 90 nautical miles toward Panama City under a small-craft advisory.
- A squall at 23:00 caused winds to jump from 14 knots to over 40 knots, capsizing both boats and driving the sailors in opposite directions.
- George spent 40 minutes in the water righting his hull, then logged wind direction, heading, and sail condition in the sealed notebook by first light on March 8.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1202falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-survived-four-days-alone-at-sea-no-flares-only-a-mirror--73079099
Cold, wet and alone on a life raft for four days, a twenty-three-year-old dental hygienist survived with only a signaling mirror, a half-liter of water and a handheld radio that went unanswered for 36 hours - and the search began in the wrong ocean, eighteen miles away. How did she stay alive long enough for someone to find a dry mirror wedged in a tree eleven days later?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of decisions, small preparations and near-misses that shaped Valerie Richardson’s four-day ordeal on the Gulf after her sloop Lark lost its mast. We follow her route, the failed timing of forecasts, and the search that missed her by miles - could one overlooked flare kit have changed everything?

Person: Valerie Richardson
Person: Dennis Richardson
Boat: Lark, 26-foot sloop
Duration: 36 hours of Channel 16 transmissions
Distance: 18 miles between her actual position and search area

- The mirror Kevin Hall found was still wet when he discovered it on February 14th, wedged in a buttonwood tree in Heron Flats.
- Valerie transmitted on VHF Channel 16 for 36 hours with no response because the search had not yet started and later searched 18 miles east of her actual location.
- Lark’s mast came down around 2:00 a.m. on February 6th, causing a chain plate fracture and immediate water ingress.
- Valerie had a half-liter of water in her jacket pocket, a signaling mirror around her neck, and a handheld VHF radio; the orange waterproof flare case was left dry and unopened on the dock.
- Dennis found the unopened flare kit on the following Thursday exactly where Valerie had set it down.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079099Fri, 21 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Survived Four Days Alone at Sea - No Flares, Only a Mirror Cold, wet and alone on a life raft for four days, a twenty-three-year-old dental hygienist survived with only a signaling mirror, a half-liter of water and a handheld radio that went...
Cold, wet and alone on a life raft for four days, a twenty-three-year-old dental hygienist survived with only a signaling mirror, a half-liter of water and a handheld radio that went unanswered for 36 hours - and the search began in the wrong ocean, eighteen miles away. How did she stay alive long enough for someone to find a dry mirror wedged in a tree eleven days later?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of decisions, small preparations and near-misses that shaped Valerie Richardson’s four-day ordeal on the Gulf after her sloop Lark lost its mast. We follow her route, the failed timing of forecasts, and the search that missed her by miles - could one overlooked flare kit have changed everything?

Person: Valerie Richardson
Person: Dennis Richardson
Boat: Lark, 26-foot sloop
Duration: 36 hours of Channel 16 transmissions
Distance: 18 miles between her actual position and search area

- The mirror Kevin Hall found was still wet when he discovered it on February 14th, wedged in a buttonwood tree in Heron Flats.
- Valerie transmitted on VHF Channel 16 for 36 hours with no response because the search had not yet started and later searched 18 miles east of her actual location.
- Lark’s mast came down around 2:00 a.m. on February 6th, causing a chain plate fracture and immediate water ingress.
- Valerie had a half-liter of water in her jacket pocket, a signaling mirror around her neck, and a handheld VHF radio; the orange waterproof flare case was left dry and unopened on the dock.
- Dennis found the unopened flare kit on the following Thursday exactly where Valerie had set it down.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1182falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-card-drifting-woman-how-she-navigated-nine-days-alone--73079098
The first thing found at a marina storage yard was a bone-dry laminated card with twelve handwritten lines and a final note: "Day nine." A rescue spent nine days searching the wrong ocean while that card-flown three hundred yards across marsh-held the only written trail of a woman’s solo navigation; how did she survive and steer herself home without compass, GPS, or charts?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events, witness reports, and the instruments and calculations that made an improbable return possible, and we ask what the card and the small tools she used reveal about her decisions and skills.

Person: Connie Casey
Date: January 7-19, 2011
Location: Gulf coast of Florida (departure Fort Myers Beach; 160 nautical miles west-southwest of Key West at incident)
Event: Nine-day solo navigation and search-and-rescue mismatch
Instrument: stainless steel winch base used as navigation aid

- The laminated index card had twelve handwritten lines with times and compass headings and a final entry marked "Day nine."
- The card landed dry three hundred yards across open marsh inside a fenced storage yard and sat there for three days.
- The rescue beacon directed searchers twenty-two nautical miles away from where the woman actually was.
- The Hazel M. was a forty-four-foot sloop; she and a 26-year-old crewman left Fort Myers Beach on January 7, 2011.
- On January 10, 2011, a sudden asymmetric swell (rogue wave) struck when the vessel was 160 nautical miles west-southwest of Key West.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079098Thu, 20 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Card, Drifting Woman: How She Navigated Nine Days Alone The first thing found at a marina storage yard was a bone-dry laminated card with twelve handwritten lines and a final note: "Day nine." A rescue spent nine days searching the wrong ocean...
The first thing found at a marina storage yard was a bone-dry laminated card with twelve handwritten lines and a final note: "Day nine." A rescue spent nine days searching the wrong ocean while that card-flown three hundred yards across marsh-held the only written trail of a woman’s solo navigation; how did she survive and steer herself home without compass, GPS, or charts?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events, witness reports, and the instruments and calculations that made an improbable return possible, and we ask what the card and the small tools she used reveal about her decisions and skills.

Person: Connie Casey
Date: January 7-19, 2011
Location: Gulf coast of Florida (departure Fort Myers Beach; 160 nautical miles west-southwest of Key West at incident)
Event: Nine-day solo navigation and search-and-rescue mismatch
Instrument: stainless steel winch base used as navigation aid

- The laminated index card had twelve handwritten lines with times and compass headings and a final entry marked "Day nine."
- The card landed dry three hundred yards across open marsh inside a fenced storage yard and sat there for three days.
- The rescue beacon directed searchers twenty-two nautical miles away from where the woman actually was.
- The Hazel M. was a forty-four-foot sloop; she and a 26-year-old crewman left Fort Myers Beach on January 7, 2011.
- On January 10, 2011, a sudden asymmetric swell (rogue wave) struck when the vessel was 160 nautical miles west-southwest of Key West.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1350falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-green-notebook-nine-days-adrift-one-sentence-left-behind--73079097
Find the dry green notebook, a single line written - "Day one. Mast gone. I am alive." - then 96 blank pages: how does a complete nine-day survival log vanish while the owner is recovered alive six miles offshore? What happened to the missing entries and who found the notebook upright in a tidal mud flat?

In this episode, we follow the chain from discovery to rescue: a birdwatcher finds the notebook at Galvez Inlet, it is logged into evidence, and a search-and-rescue coordinator reads that lone sentence and understands its link to a man recovered after nine days adrift. How did a seasoned sailor keep a spoken dead-reckoning log for nine days while the physical pages remained blank?

Person: Russell Moore
Location: Galvez Inlet, Florida
Date: December 6-19 (departure December 7; discovery December 19)
Event: Nine days adrift after mast failure and life raft deployment
Status: Notebook logged into evidence and linked to rescued survivor

- The notebook was found at 7:52 AM on December 19 by birdwatcher Cynthia Snyder on a mud flat at Galvez Inlet.
- The first line written in the green spiral notebook reads: "Day one. Mast gone. I am alive." and the following 96 pages were blank.
- The notebook was logged into evidence by noon on the day it was found and routed to the Tampa Search and Rescue office by early afternoon.
- Russell Moore, age 63, departed Osprey marina at 6:00 AM on December 7 aboard the 31-foot Catalina sloop Lena Marie.
- The life raft was deployed at approximately 4:15 AM on December 9 after the lower shroud chainplate failed and the mast came down; Russell had six energy bars and four liters of water.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079097Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Green Notebook: Nine Days Adrift, One Sentence Left Behind Find the dry green notebook, a single line written - "Day one. Mast gone. I am alive." - then 96 blank pages: how does a complete nine-day survival log vanish while the owner is...
Find the dry green notebook, a single line written - "Day one. Mast gone. I am alive." - then 96 blank pages: how does a complete nine-day survival log vanish while the owner is recovered alive six miles offshore? What happened to the missing entries and who found the notebook upright in a tidal mud flat?

In this episode, we follow the chain from discovery to rescue: a birdwatcher finds the notebook at Galvez Inlet, it is logged into evidence, and a search-and-rescue coordinator reads that lone sentence and understands its link to a man recovered after nine days adrift. How did a seasoned sailor keep a spoken dead-reckoning log for nine days while the physical pages remained blank?

Person: Russell Moore
Location: Galvez Inlet, Florida
Date: December 6-19 (departure December 7; discovery December 19)
Event: Nine days adrift after mast failure and life raft deployment
Status: Notebook logged into evidence and linked to rescued survivor

- The notebook was found at 7:52 AM on December 19 by birdwatcher Cynthia Snyder on a mud flat at Galvez Inlet.
- The first line written in the green spiral notebook reads: "Day one. Mast gone. I am alive." and the following 96 pages were blank.
- The notebook was logged into evidence by noon on the day it was found and routed to the Tampa Search and Rescue office by early afternoon.
- Russell Moore, age 63, departed Osprey marina at 6:00 AM on December 7 aboard the 31-foot Catalina sloop Lena Marie.
- The life raft was deployed at approximately 4:15 AM on December 9 after the lower shroud chainplate failed and the mast came down; Russell had six energy bars and four liters of water.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1283falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-notebook-that-saved-seven-how-a-lost-log-found-the-survivors--73079096
The morning a paperboy found a waterlogged composition notebook stamped MV Mireille Voss, seven people were clinging to life in a lifeboat with a VHF radio that transmitted no farther than two miles. Search aircraft had been looking in the wrong place for thirty-six hours, and a cargo tag zip-tied to a ruined notebook would change everything-how did one soaked notebook become the only way their calls were heard?

In this episode, we follow the recovered notebook and the crew entries that redirected a failing rescue, tracking what was written, who survived the launch, and why routine checks missed a bent antenna that crippled the lifeboat radio. Could a paper log and a paperboy beat forty-eight hours of missed alarms?

Person: Glenn Campbell
Date: November 14 (discovery), collision evening November 8
Location: Perdido Bay (notebook found); Gulf of Mexico (incident)
Vessel: MV Mireille Voss, 412-foot chemical tanker
Status: Seven survivors in lifeboat; two officers deceased, some bodies not recovered

- Glenn Campbell found the notebook at 5:30 AM on November 14 while on a four-mile paper route with fourteen stops.
- The MV Mireille Voss departed Pascagoula on the evening of November 8 with an estimated arrival of November 12 and never arrived.
- The ship carried twenty-one crew; seven launched in a rigid enclosed lifeboat built for ten with rations for three days.
- Roy Pruitt estimated the VHF radio battery at 60% but the antenna connector bent on launch, reducing range from ~20 miles to ~2 miles.
- The notebook reached the Perdido Bay sheriff's substation at 6:15 AM and was on a senior rescue coordinator’s screen in New Orleans by 8:00 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079096Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Notebook That Saved Seven: How a Lost Log Found the Survivors The morning a paperboy found a waterlogged composition notebook stamped MV Mireille Voss, seven people were clinging to life in a lifeboat with a VHF radio that transmitted no...
The morning a paperboy found a waterlogged composition notebook stamped MV Mireille Voss, seven people were clinging to life in a lifeboat with a VHF radio that transmitted no farther than two miles. Search aircraft had been looking in the wrong place for thirty-six hours, and a cargo tag zip-tied to a ruined notebook would change everything-how did one soaked notebook become the only way their calls were heard?

In this episode, we follow the recovered notebook and the crew entries that redirected a failing rescue, tracking what was written, who survived the launch, and why routine checks missed a bent antenna that crippled the lifeboat radio. Could a paper log and a paperboy beat forty-eight hours of missed alarms?

Person: Glenn Campbell
Date: November 14 (discovery), collision evening November 8
Location: Perdido Bay (notebook found); Gulf of Mexico (incident)
Vessel: MV Mireille Voss, 412-foot chemical tanker
Status: Seven survivors in lifeboat; two officers deceased, some bodies not recovered

- Glenn Campbell found the notebook at 5:30 AM on November 14 while on a four-mile paper route with fourteen stops.
- The MV Mireille Voss departed Pascagoula on the evening of November 8 with an estimated arrival of November 12 and never arrived.
- The ship carried twenty-one crew; seven launched in a rigid enclosed lifeboat built for ten with rations for three days.
- Roy Pruitt estimated the VHF radio battery at 60% but the antenna connector bent on launch, reducing range from ~20 miles to ~2 miles.
- The notebook reached the Perdido Bay sheriff's substation at 6:15 AM and was on a senior rescue coordinator’s screen in New Orleans by 8:00 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1352falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/forty-miles-missing-the-bottle-that-proved-they-were-alive--73079094
A single glass bottle washed ashore in Harwick, Maine with a dry, folded note inside that read "We are still here. The boat is sound." The bottle was launched before a Coast Guard rescue and proved the occupants were alive-so why had search teams missed them by forty miles?

In this episode, we tell how a 34-foot sloop's distress call showed accurate instruments and clear numbers that were nonetheless wrong by forty miles, how a watermaker failure and a severed antenna turned the chartplotter into a lie, and how a laminated parts list and one last act of faith in a bottle kept hope alive. How did a cached GPS position and a drifting current combine to turn a routine rescue into a months-long mystery?

Person: Kelly McCarthy
Person: Chris Nolan
Date: October 7, 2017
Boat: 34-foot Tartan sloop named Tern
Search area: more than 4,000 nautical square miles

- The distress call was transmitted at 02:17 on October 7, 2017 with coordinates showing 43°22′N, 66°08′W.
- The chartplotter displayed a cached position from two hours before the storm after the antenna connection was partially severed.
- The Coast Guard searched over 4,000 nautical square miles based on the transmitted coordinates and found nothing.
- The Tern drifted southwest through the storm at roughly half a knot and ended up about forty miles from the plotted position.
- On November 14, 2017 a snowplow operator found a glass bottle in a roadside ditch containing a dry note stating "We are still here. The boat is sound."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079094Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaForty Miles Missing: The Bottle That Proved They Were Alive A single glass bottle washed ashore in Harwick, Maine with a dry, folded note inside that read "We are still here. The boat is sound." The bottle was launched before a Coast Guard rescue...
A single glass bottle washed ashore in Harwick, Maine with a dry, folded note inside that read "We are still here. The boat is sound." The bottle was launched before a Coast Guard rescue and proved the occupants were alive-so why had search teams missed them by forty miles?

In this episode, we tell how a 34-foot sloop's distress call showed accurate instruments and clear numbers that were nonetheless wrong by forty miles, how a watermaker failure and a severed antenna turned the chartplotter into a lie, and how a laminated parts list and one last act of faith in a bottle kept hope alive. How did a cached GPS position and a drifting current combine to turn a routine rescue into a months-long mystery?

Person: Kelly McCarthy
Person: Chris Nolan
Date: October 7, 2017
Boat: 34-foot Tartan sloop named Tern
Search area: more than 4,000 nautical square miles

- The distress call was transmitted at 02:17 on October 7, 2017 with coordinates showing 43°22′N, 66°08′W.
- The chartplotter displayed a cached position from two hours before the storm after the antenna connection was partially severed.
- The Coast Guard searched over 4,000 nautical square miles based on the transmitted coordinates and found nothing.
- The Tern drifted southwest through the storm at roughly half a knot and ended up about forty miles from the plotted position.
- On November 14, 2017 a snowplow operator found a glass bottle in a roadside ditch containing a dry note stating "We are still here. The boat is sound."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1016falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-gave-her-pfd-the-chain-the-card-the-lost-man--73079092
The moment Wayne Underwood found thirty feet of galvanized anchor chain coiled on Creel's Landing and a laminated dive certification card threaded through its last three links, the calm of Tallow Creek hid a larger, darker story: three sailors left the Brunswick dock on September 1, 2017; one never returned, two drifted at sea for eight days - how did a habit of wearing a dive card become the clue that changed everything?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from departure to rescue, tracing the equipment failures, decisions, and small habits that shaped the outcome; what chain of small failures sent three people into the Atlantic, and what did the laminated card finally reveal?

Date: September 1-9, 2017
Location: Brunswick, Georgia to offshore northeast of the Florida-Georgia line
Vessel: Ariel Dawn, 42-foot catamaran
People: Marie Brown (32), Douglas Frett (50), Kevin Tully (46)
Equipment: four-person life raft (inflated to ~1/3), EPIRB activated, handheld VHF

- At 6:40 AM on September 9, Wayne Underwood found a 30-foot galvanized anchor chain coiled on the dock with Marie Brown’s laminated dive certification card threaded through the final three links.
- The Ariel Dawn departed Brunswick on the afternoon of September 1 and was making way in a 15-knot southeast breeze by nightfall on September 2.
- A diesel fuel-return-line fitting had been improperly torqued for years, allowing a fine diesel mist to land on a hot exhaust riser and ignite on the night of September 2.
- The life raft canister’s CO2 cartridge carried an inspection stamp dated four years earlier; the raft inflated to roughly one-third capacity and proved insufficient as a full platform.
- The anchor attachment burned through at approximately 2:00 AM on September 3; the hull went down but the chain remained, which the three people held onto as the boat burned.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079092Sun, 16 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Gave Her PFD - The Chain, The Card, The Lost Man The moment Wayne Underwood found thirty feet of galvanized anchor chain coiled on Creel's Landing and a laminated dive certification card threaded through its last three links, the calm of Tallow...
The moment Wayne Underwood found thirty feet of galvanized anchor chain coiled on Creel's Landing and a laminated dive certification card threaded through its last three links, the calm of Tallow Creek hid a larger, darker story: three sailors left the Brunswick dock on September 1, 2017; one never returned, two drifted at sea for eight days - how did a habit of wearing a dive card become the clue that changed everything?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from departure to rescue, tracing the equipment failures, decisions, and small habits that shaped the outcome; what chain of small failures sent three people into the Atlantic, and what did the laminated card finally reveal?

Date: September 1-9, 2017
Location: Brunswick, Georgia to offshore northeast of the Florida-Georgia line
Vessel: Ariel Dawn, 42-foot catamaran
People: Marie Brown (32), Douglas Frett (50), Kevin Tully (46)
Equipment: four-person life raft (inflated to ~1/3), EPIRB activated, handheld VHF

- At 6:40 AM on September 9, Wayne Underwood found a 30-foot galvanized anchor chain coiled on the dock with Marie Brown’s laminated dive certification card threaded through the final three links.
- The Ariel Dawn departed Brunswick on the afternoon of September 1 and was making way in a 15-knot southeast breeze by nightfall on September 2.
- A diesel fuel-return-line fitting had been improperly torqued for years, allowing a fine diesel mist to land on a hot exhaust riser and ignite on the night of September 2.
- The life raft canister’s CO2 cartridge carried an inspection stamp dated four years earlier; the raft inflated to roughly one-third capacity and proved insufficient as a full platform.
- The anchor attachment burned through at approximately 2:00 AM on September 3; the hull went down but the chain remained, which the three people held onto as the boat burned.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1172falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-notebook-that-survived-eleven-days-adrift-and-told-the-truth--73079091
Saltwater should have destroyed a spiral-bound recipe notebook within minutes, but after eleven days adrift it remained legible enough to become the clearest record of what happened to a missing sailor. A disabled sailboat, a failed emergency beacon, and one woman’s habit of tucking a notebook into her oilskin jacket set up a stubborn mystery: how did that little book survive, and what does it reveal about the lost eleven days?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Pamela Hunter leaving Pellet Cove on August 2, 2019 to the moment her passage became a search, and ask how a routine sail turned into a fight for survival and a notebook became the only witness.

Person: Pamela Hunter
Date: August 2, 2019
Location: Pellet Cove, Mississippi to Apalachicola, Florida
Vessel: Audrey Jean
Item that survived: Spiral-bound recipe notebook with plastic cover

- Pamela untied the Audrey Jean at 6:15 AM on August 2, 2019 and planned a roughly 230-mile passage to Apalachicola.
- Pamela had 43 years of sailing experience and filed a float plan with harbormaster Vic Pressler before departure.
- Approximately 36 hours into the passage, a convective squall line struck about 60 miles south-southeast of the Mississippi barrier islands, lasting less than 20 minutes.
- The mast fell to starboard, punching a hole in the deck and sending the EPIRB, VHF antenna, GPS, and satellite phone into the water.
- Pamela worked for 90 minutes in near-total darkness with failing flashlight batteries to saw through rigging, salvaging a ship's log, a handheld compass, an emergency bag with 4 liters of water, crackers, and the recipe notebook.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079091Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Notebook That Survived Eleven Days Adrift-And Told The Truth Saltwater should have destroyed a spiral-bound recipe notebook within minutes, but after eleven days adrift it remained legible enough to become the clearest record of what happened...
Saltwater should have destroyed a spiral-bound recipe notebook within minutes, but after eleven days adrift it remained legible enough to become the clearest record of what happened to a missing sailor. A disabled sailboat, a failed emergency beacon, and one woman’s habit of tucking a notebook into her oilskin jacket set up a stubborn mystery: how did that little book survive, and what does it reveal about the lost eleven days?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Pamela Hunter leaving Pellet Cove on August 2, 2019 to the moment her passage became a search, and ask how a routine sail turned into a fight for survival and a notebook became the only witness.

Person: Pamela Hunter
Date: August 2, 2019
Location: Pellet Cove, Mississippi to Apalachicola, Florida
Vessel: Audrey Jean
Item that survived: Spiral-bound recipe notebook with plastic cover

- Pamela untied the Audrey Jean at 6:15 AM on August 2, 2019 and planned a roughly 230-mile passage to Apalachicola.
- Pamela had 43 years of sailing experience and filed a float plan with harbormaster Vic Pressler before departure.
- Approximately 36 hours into the passage, a convective squall line struck about 60 miles south-southeast of the Mississippi barrier islands, lasting less than 20 minutes.
- The mast fell to starboard, punching a hole in the deck and sending the EPIRB, VHF antenna, GPS, and satellite phone into the water.
- Pamela worked for 90 minutes in near-total darkness with failing flashlight batteries to saw through rigging, salvaging a ship's log, a handheld compass, an emergency bag with 4 liters of water, crackers, and the recipe notebook.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1142falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/una-mujer-que-la-busqueda-abandono-por-muerta-llego-antes-que-su-barco--73079090
Fear and stubborn hope collide: a woman declared lost at sea survived eleven days alone in the Gulf of Mexico and was found with a dry Sonoran desert scorpion sealed in a mason jar aboard her soaked boat - how did she live without instruments, water supplies, or rescue? What led a desert memory to be the key to understanding her survival?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from departure to discovery, recounting the equipment she carried, the wind event that threw her overboard, and the moment a dockhand found a boat that “should not have been there”; will the details of her preparation and the strange jar explain how she navigated and endured?

Person: Rhonda Porter
Date: July 8, 2017 (man overboard) and July 19, 2017 (boat found)
Location: Gulf of Mexico; boat recovered at Pelican Cove Marina
Vessel: Perseverance
Item: mason jar containing a bark scorpion from Sonoran Desert

- Rhonda cast off from Gulfport at 6:50 PM on July 7, 2017, bound for Tampa with an estimated three-day trip.
- At 12:31 AM on July 8, 2017, a boom swung unexpectedly, striking her and throwing her overboard 80 nautical miles offshore in 300 feet of water.
- She surfaced within seconds wearing an offshore jacket with an inflatable harness that she manually inflated; it was not clipped to the jackline.
- Clipped to her body were a rigging knife, a partially full one-liter water bottle, and two chemical light sticks she used for 40 minutes.
- On July 19, 2017, Frank Carter found Perseverance at Pelican Cove Marina soaked through but with a sealed mason jar in the bow cleat containing a completely dry bark scorpion.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079090Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaUna mujer que la búsqueda abandonó por muerta llegó antes que su barco Fear and stubborn hope collide: a woman declared lost at sea survived eleven days alone in the Gulf of Mexico and was found with a dry Sonoran desert scorpion sealed in a mason...
Fear and stubborn hope collide: a woman declared lost at sea survived eleven days alone in the Gulf of Mexico and was found with a dry Sonoran desert scorpion sealed in a mason jar aboard her soaked boat - how did she live without instruments, water supplies, or rescue? What led a desert memory to be the key to understanding her survival?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from departure to discovery, recounting the equipment she carried, the wind event that threw her overboard, and the moment a dockhand found a boat that “should not have been there”; will the details of her preparation and the strange jar explain how she navigated and endured?

Person: Rhonda Porter
Date: July 8, 2017 (man overboard) and July 19, 2017 (boat found)
Location: Gulf of Mexico; boat recovered at Pelican Cove Marina
Vessel: Perseverance
Item: mason jar containing a bark scorpion from Sonoran Desert

- Rhonda cast off from Gulfport at 6:50 PM on July 7, 2017, bound for Tampa with an estimated three-day trip.
- At 12:31 AM on July 8, 2017, a boom swung unexpectedly, striking her and throwing her overboard 80 nautical miles offshore in 300 feet of water.
- She surfaced within seconds wearing an offshore jacket with an inflatable harness that she manually inflated; it was not clipped to the jackline.
- Clipped to her body were a rigging knife, a partially full one-liter water bottle, and two chemical light sticks she used for 40 minutes.
- On July 19, 2017, Frank Carter found Perseverance at Pelican Cove Marina soaked through but with a sealed mason jar in the bow cleat containing a completely dry bark scorpion.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1120falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-survived-11-days-but-the-raft-told-a-different-story--73079089
Cold, precise routine met an impossible gap: a marine biologist with a graduate degree, a dry spiral-bound notebook found inside an otherwise weathered life raft, and eleven days during which search teams looked the wrong way. How did a woman who logged every detail and carried a personal locator beacon end up drifting mostly visible and mostly within reach while rescue systems failed to connect the dots?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to discovery: who Megan Dixon was, what equipment she carried, how Vera struck a submerged shipping container, and what the rescue teams found on Pelican Cay and the western beach forty minutes apart. Why did the life raft’s notebook stay bone dry and what does that silence in the evidence really mean?

Person: Megan Dixon
Age: 29
Vessel: 31-foot sloop named Vera
Departure: June 1, 2019 at 06:47
Discovery: June 9, 2019 at 06:15 by Tom Reyes on Pelican Cay

- Megan Dixon held a graduate degree in marine biology from the University of Florida and worked on seagrass recovery near Naples for four years.
- She filed a float plan with harbormaster Pete Vance on the morning of June 1, 2019 listing destination Cayo Redondo and departed at 06:47.
- Vera struck a submerged shipping container northeast of Cayo Redondo on the evening of June 2, 2019, with roughly forty minutes elapsing before the sloop sank.
- The life raft was found on the western beach with canopy up, painter line coiled, and a college-ruled spiral-bound notebook tucked under the canopy frame that remained bone dry.
- Tom Reyes found Megan conscious on the south beach of Pelican Cay at 06:15 on June 9, 2019, and a marine patrol officer later noted the notebook before noticing dried blood and the raft’s registration number.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079089Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:00:35 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Survived 11 Days - But the Raft Told a Different Story Cold, precise routine met an impossible gap: a marine biologist with a graduate degree, a dry spiral-bound notebook found inside an otherwise weathered life raft, and eleven days during...
Cold, precise routine met an impossible gap: a marine biologist with a graduate degree, a dry spiral-bound notebook found inside an otherwise weathered life raft, and eleven days during which search teams looked the wrong way. How did a woman who logged every detail and carried a personal locator beacon end up drifting mostly visible and mostly within reach while rescue systems failed to connect the dots?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to discovery: who Megan Dixon was, what equipment she carried, how Vera struck a submerged shipping container, and what the rescue teams found on Pelican Cay and the western beach forty minutes apart. Why did the life raft’s notebook stay bone dry and what does that silence in the evidence really mean?

Person: Megan Dixon
Age: 29
Vessel: 31-foot sloop named Vera
Departure: June 1, 2019 at 06:47
Discovery: June 9, 2019 at 06:15 by Tom Reyes on Pelican Cay

- Megan Dixon held a graduate degree in marine biology from the University of Florida and worked on seagrass recovery near Naples for four years.
- She filed a float plan with harbormaster Pete Vance on the morning of June 1, 2019 listing destination Cayo Redondo and departed at 06:47.
- Vera struck a submerged shipping container northeast of Cayo Redondo on the evening of June 2, 2019, with roughly forty minutes elapsing before the sloop sank.
- The life raft was found on the western beach with canopy up, painter line coiled, and a college-ruled spiral-bound notebook tucked under the canopy frame that remained bone dry.
- Tom Reyes found Megan conscious on the south beach of Pelican Cay at 06:15 on June 9, 2019, and a marine patrol officer later noted the notebook before noticing dried blood and the raft’s registration number.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1178falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ninety-seconds-the-purple-backpack-that-rewrote-the-rescue-search--73079087
A small purple backpack zipped shut and completely dry appeared upright in mud sixty miles and eleven days from where it was last seen after a ferry capsized - and its movement revealed that the rescue search was pointed the wrong way. If a research drift buoy had been read sooner, search vectors would have run north instead of southeast; could those hours have changed who survived?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning of May 12, 2019 through the discovery on May 23 and trace how one unread instrument and one orphaned backpack altered the course of a rescue operation. What really happened in those ninety seconds on the water, and how did a purple backpack become the key clue?

Date: May 12, 2019
Event: Pemrose Queen capsized
Location: Four miles south of the dock near Greyson Shoal
Person: Erin Keller
Person: Petra (age 9)

- The Pemrose Queen departed at 7:15 a.m, with 48 passengers and 2 crew.
- The first breaking wave hit at 7:37 a.m.; the ferry capsized at 7:38:19 a.m.
- A research drift buoy was deployed at 6:00 a.m. an hour and fifteen minutes before departure.
- Buoy data indicating a northward drift reached the maritime office at 11:22 a.m., prompting a search redirection.
- The first rescue vessel reached survivors at 11:59 a.m.; total time in open water for survivors reached 3 hours 40 minutes.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079087Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaNinety Seconds: The Purple Backpack That Rewrote the Rescue Search A small purple backpack zipped shut and completely dry appeared upright in mud sixty miles and eleven days from where it was last seen after a ferry capsized - and its movement...
A small purple backpack zipped shut and completely dry appeared upright in mud sixty miles and eleven days from where it was last seen after a ferry capsized - and its movement revealed that the rescue search was pointed the wrong way. If a research drift buoy had been read sooner, search vectors would have run north instead of southeast; could those hours have changed who survived?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning of May 12, 2019 through the discovery on May 23 and trace how one unread instrument and one orphaned backpack altered the course of a rescue operation. What really happened in those ninety seconds on the water, and how did a purple backpack become the key clue?

Date: May 12, 2019
Event: Pemrose Queen capsized
Location: Four miles south of the dock near Greyson Shoal
Person: Erin Keller
Person: Petra (age 9)

- The Pemrose Queen departed at 7:15 a.m, with 48 passengers and 2 crew.
- The first breaking wave hit at 7:37 a.m.; the ferry capsized at 7:38:19 a.m.
- A research drift buoy was deployed at 6:00 a.m. an hour and fifteen minutes before departure.
- Buoy data indicating a northward drift reached the maritime office at 11:22 a.m., prompting a search redirection.
- The first rescue vessel reached survivors at 11:59 a.m.; total time in open water for survivors reached 3 hours 40 minutes.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1149falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/notebook-in-a-trawl-the-boy-who-wrote-i-am-alive--73079085
A fisherman's trawl pulled a dry, spiral-bound notebook sealed in a plastic bag from the Gulf - its last line, written three days earlier, read simply: "If someone finds this - I am alive." What went wrong on a solo 500-nautical-mile passage that left a twenty-two-year-old missing and a tiny, waterlogged diary as the only breadcrumb? Listen to hear how a routine log became the single clue holding a life in balance.

In this episode, we follow the voyage, the entries, and the people connected to the young mariner to understand what the notebook recorded and why those final words mattered. How did a habit of precise logging and a single failed seam become the vital evidence of one man's fate?

Person: Melvin Lane
Date: April 7-12, 2014
Location: Northern Gulf of Mexico; last GPS lock April 11 at 22:41, ~160 miles SW of the Mississippi passes
Vessel: Perseverance, Pearson Vanguard, 31 feet, built 1978
Finder: Philip Hamilton, April 19, 2014, Heron Flat, Louisiana

- Melvin was 22 years old when he departed Slidell at 06:15 on April 7, 2014.
- Perseverance was purchased for $4,000 from a bankruptcy estate and refitted over 11 months.
- The last GPS position logged was at 22:41 on April 11, approximately 160 miles southwest of the Mississippi passes.
- On April 11 a squall caused the jib halyard to fail and the boat to broach, costing Melvin 40 miles to the east.
- On April 12 the mast folded at a 36-year-old fitting; Melvin spent four hours cutting standing lines with a hacksaw and logged his left forearm bleeding.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079085Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaNotebook in a Trawl: The Boy Who Wrote I Am Alive A fisherman's trawl pulled a dry, spiral-bound notebook sealed in a plastic bag from the Gulf - its last line, written three days earlier, read simply: "If someone finds this - I am alive." What...
A fisherman's trawl pulled a dry, spiral-bound notebook sealed in a plastic bag from the Gulf - its last line, written three days earlier, read simply: "If someone finds this - I am alive." What went wrong on a solo 500-nautical-mile passage that left a twenty-two-year-old missing and a tiny, waterlogged diary as the only breadcrumb? Listen to hear how a routine log became the single clue holding a life in balance.

In this episode, we follow the voyage, the entries, and the people connected to the young mariner to understand what the notebook recorded and why those final words mattered. How did a habit of precise logging and a single failed seam become the vital evidence of one man's fate?

Person: Melvin Lane
Date: April 7-12, 2014
Location: Northern Gulf of Mexico; last GPS lock April 11 at 22:41, ~160 miles SW of the Mississippi passes
Vessel: Perseverance, Pearson Vanguard, 31 feet, built 1978
Finder: Philip Hamilton, April 19, 2014, Heron Flat, Louisiana

- Melvin was 22 years old when he departed Slidell at 06:15 on April 7, 2014.
- Perseverance was purchased for $4,000 from a bankruptcy estate and refitted over 11 months.
- The last GPS position logged was at 22:41 on April 11, approximately 160 miles southwest of the Mississippi passes.
- On April 11 a squall caused the jib halyard to fail and the boat to broach, costing Melvin 40 miles to the east.
- On April 12 the mast folded at a 36-year-old fitting; Melvin spent four hours cutting standing lines with a hacksaw and logged his left forearm bleeding.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1133falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-drank-saltwater-clung-to-a-rope-survived-six-days-offshore--73079083
The moment a fishing boat spotted an orange life ring 80 miles offshore, they found a 38-year-old woman whose kidneys were failing and whose lips were cracked from drinking saltwater - she had survived six days holding a 30-inch life ring attached to rope she spliced herself. How did Sandra Griffin stay alive that long without a radio, flare gun, or beacon, and why did the rope later raise an uncomfortable forensic question?

In this episode, we tell what happened from departure to discovery: the crew and vessel involved, the weather shift that flipped the forecast, the single final transmission, and the strange detail about the rope that never touched the sea - what does it mean for Sandra's story?

Person: Sandra Griffin
Age: 38
Vessel: Marta Jean
Date: March 7-16, 2011
Location: Approximately 80 miles offshore, Gulf of Mexico

- The fishing boat Eloise B. spotted the life ring and Sandra at 9:52 AM on March 16, 2011.
- Sandra held a 30-inch orange life ring attached to 60 feet of polypropylene line she had spliced herself.
- The Marta Jean left Dulac on March 7 with three people: Sandra Griffin, Captain Carl Fontenot (61), and crewman Troy Meaux (22).
- The Cocodrie weather station updated its advisory at 7:00 PM on March 9 after the low-pressure system turned northwest, producing 12-14 foot seas by 8:00 PM.
- The Marta Jean broached at 9:14 PM on March 9; the final relay transmission at 9:17 PM was "Taking water" then static.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079083Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:00:06 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Drank Saltwater, Clung to a Rope - Survived Six Days Offshore The moment a fishing boat spotted an orange life ring 80 miles offshore, they found a 38-year-old woman whose kidneys were failing and whose lips were cracked from drinking saltwater...
The moment a fishing boat spotted an orange life ring 80 miles offshore, they found a 38-year-old woman whose kidneys were failing and whose lips were cracked from drinking saltwater - she had survived six days holding a 30-inch life ring attached to rope she spliced herself. How did Sandra Griffin stay alive that long without a radio, flare gun, or beacon, and why did the rope later raise an uncomfortable forensic question?

In this episode, we tell what happened from departure to discovery: the crew and vessel involved, the weather shift that flipped the forecast, the single final transmission, and the strange detail about the rope that never touched the sea - what does it mean for Sandra's story?

Person: Sandra Griffin
Age: 38
Vessel: Marta Jean
Date: March 7-16, 2011
Location: Approximately 80 miles offshore, Gulf of Mexico

- The fishing boat Eloise B. spotted the life ring and Sandra at 9:52 AM on March 16, 2011.
- Sandra held a 30-inch orange life ring attached to 60 feet of polypropylene line she had spliced herself.
- The Marta Jean left Dulac on March 7 with three people: Sandra Griffin, Captain Carl Fontenot (61), and crewman Troy Meaux (22).
- The Cocodrie weather station updated its advisory at 7:00 PM on March 9 after the low-pressure system turned northwest, producing 12-14 foot seas by 8:00 PM.
- The Marta Jean broached at 9:14 PM on March 9; the final relay transmission at 9:17 PM was "Taking water" then static.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1097falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-watch-that-walked-ashore-94-hours-on-an-upside-down-boat--73079082
A woman survived ninety-four hours lying on the upside-down hull of her sailboat while the item she wore for forty-two years - a mechanical watch with a cracked crystal - washed ashore upright and still running twelve miles away. How did the watch end up on a tidal flat the same morning she was pulled from the hull, and what does that timing reveal about the night the Gulf turned on her?

In this episode, we tell who Shannon White was, what the Delia Mae meant to her, and the sequence of events from her last VHF call to the physical evidence recovered after the knock-down. Listen to learn how forty-two years of offshore experience, a cutter rig she installed, and a weather front arriving six hours early all factor into one night and one impossible watch.

Person: Shannon White
Boat: Delia Mae, 34-foot full-keel fiberglass sloop
Date: February 6-9 (knock-down night Feb 6-7; found Feb 9), year not stated
Location: Gulf of Mexico, twelve miles from tidal flat where watch was found
Witness: Marcus Veal (shrimping boat crew who found the hull)

- Shannon was 61 years old and had 42 years of open-water experience between her first offshore passage at 19 and the Delia Mae sinking.
- The Delia Mae was built in 1987 and had a cutter rig Shannon installed herself roughly 20 years before the incident.
- Frank Odom reported Shannon’s last routine VHF transmission on February 6 at 12:04 p.m., noting winds of 17-20 knots.
- The weather front arrived six hours earlier than forecast, and wind increased from ~20 knots to ~35 knots in under an hour.
- A mechanical watch with a cream-colored face and cracked crystal was found upright and still running on a flat rock twelve miles from where Marcus Veal found Shannon on the upside-down hull after 94 hours.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079082Sun, 09 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Watch That Walked Ashore: 94 Hours on an Upside-Down Boat A woman survived ninety-four hours lying on the upside-down hull of her sailboat while the item she wore for forty-two years - a mechanical watch with a cracked crystal - washed ashore...
A woman survived ninety-four hours lying on the upside-down hull of her sailboat while the item she wore for forty-two years - a mechanical watch with a cracked crystal - washed ashore upright and still running twelve miles away. How did the watch end up on a tidal flat the same morning she was pulled from the hull, and what does that timing reveal about the night the Gulf turned on her?

In this episode, we tell who Shannon White was, what the Delia Mae meant to her, and the sequence of events from her last VHF call to the physical evidence recovered after the knock-down. Listen to learn how forty-two years of offshore experience, a cutter rig she installed, and a weather front arriving six hours early all factor into one night and one impossible watch.

Person: Shannon White
Boat: Delia Mae, 34-foot full-keel fiberglass sloop
Date: February 6-9 (knock-down night Feb 6-7; found Feb 9), year not stated
Location: Gulf of Mexico, twelve miles from tidal flat where watch was found
Witness: Marcus Veal (shrimping boat crew who found the hull)

- Shannon was 61 years old and had 42 years of open-water experience between her first offshore passage at 19 and the Delia Mae sinking.
- The Delia Mae was built in 1987 and had a cutter rig Shannon installed herself roughly 20 years before the incident.
- Frank Odom reported Shannon’s last routine VHF transmission on February 6 at 12:04 p.m., noting winds of 17-20 knots.
- The weather front arrived six hours earlier than forecast, and wind increased from ~20 knots to ~35 knots in under an hour.
- A mechanical watch with a cream-colored face and cracked crystal was found upright and still running on a flat rock twelve miles from where Marcus Veal found Shannon on the upside-down hull after 94 hours.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>994falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/her-father-s-life-ring-washed-up-seven-miles-inland--73079081
A single orange life ring from the Calliope Run turned up half-buried in mud seven miles from the nearest navigable water - and the ship it belonged to had been missing for eleven days with the ocean search 312 miles away. How did gear from a vessel last seen broadcasting from one place end up inland, and where was the twenty-eight-year-old woman who vanished with the ketch?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine delivery that departed Beaufort on January 2 to the sudden loss of position signals and a disaster in the night; we trace the decisions, the failed equipment, and the one piece of familiar gear that survived - and ask whether those facts point to human error, mechanical failure, or something else.

Person: Sarah Fitzgerald
Person: Thomas Fitzgerald
Vessel: Calliope Run
Event: Ketch sank January 4 at approximately 2:40 a.m.
Location: Last recorded AIS position ~60 miles ESE of Cape Fear

- Sarah departed Beaufort on January 2 at 6:30 a.m, with her father's life ring aboard the ketch.
- The AIS transponder had been malfunctioning since October 2022 and replayed a cached coordinate before going dark at 11:40 p.m, on January 3.
- At ~2:00 a.m. on January 4 a wind backing to northwest caused a forestay toggle to fail, the mast fell, and the hull cracked at the chainplate.
- The EPIRB was mounted below the waterline and went under before Sarah could reach it; no distress signal was sent.
- The ketch sank in roughly 4,000 feet of water about 30 miles southeast of Hilton Head Island; the orange life ring was later found seven miles inland in the Ace Basin marsh.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079081Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaHer Father's Life Ring Washed Up Seven Miles Inland A single orange life ring from the Calliope Run turned up half-buried in mud seven miles from the nearest navigable water - and the ship it belonged to had been missing for eleven days with the...
A single orange life ring from the Calliope Run turned up half-buried in mud seven miles from the nearest navigable water - and the ship it belonged to had been missing for eleven days with the ocean search 312 miles away. How did gear from a vessel last seen broadcasting from one place end up inland, and where was the twenty-eight-year-old woman who vanished with the ketch?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine delivery that departed Beaufort on January 2 to the sudden loss of position signals and a disaster in the night; we trace the decisions, the failed equipment, and the one piece of familiar gear that survived - and ask whether those facts point to human error, mechanical failure, or something else.

Person: Sarah Fitzgerald
Person: Thomas Fitzgerald
Vessel: Calliope Run
Event: Ketch sank January 4 at approximately 2:40 a.m.
Location: Last recorded AIS position ~60 miles ESE of Cape Fear

- Sarah departed Beaufort on January 2 at 6:30 a.m, with her father's life ring aboard the ketch.
- The AIS transponder had been malfunctioning since October 2022 and replayed a cached coordinate before going dark at 11:40 p.m, on January 3.
- At ~2:00 a.m. on January 4 a wind backing to northwest caused a forestay toggle to fail, the mast fell, and the hull cracked at the chainplate.
- The EPIRB was mounted below the waterline and went under before Sarah could reach it; no distress signal was sent.
- The ketch sank in roughly 4,000 feet of water about 30 miles southeast of Hilton Head Island; the orange life ring was later found seven miles inland in the Ace Basin marsh.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1259falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/lost-at-sea-the-nameless-current-that-took-the-adeline-cross--73079080
A nameless current moving at two to three knots on the surface and faster below pulled a coastal freighter into a ledge nobody had ever feared - and left two sailors clinging to a life raft while a third vanished. How could an uncharted flow overpower a seasoned crew, disable engines, and stop an EPIRB from ever sending a call?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the morning a dry-bag washed ashore to the collision that sank the Adeline Cross, tracing the crew, the vessel, and the unexplained marine force that decided their fate. What exactly is this unnamed current and how did it slip past every chart and precaution?

Person: Stanley Hill
Person: Deborah Fain
Person: Marcus Cho
Event: Collision with Faber Ledge
Date: Sunday, December 2

- At 06:15 on Thursday, December 6, a translucent orange dry-bag was found on Faber Street dock containing a logbook, glasses, and a playing card marked "Tuesday. Day 4, still moving."
- The Adeline Cross departed Port Halverson at 07:40 and had cleared the harbor entrance by 08:20 before turning southeast toward Cutler Point.
- Between mile eight and mile nine the vessel encountered a current moving 2-3 knots at the surface and faster below, after which the engine overheated and seized.
- The ship struck the north arm of Faber Ledge and sank in under twenty minutes; two crew members reached a life raft while one, Marcus Cho, was trapped in the engine room and not recovered.
- The vessel's EPIRB did not transmit during the incident because its hydrostatic release had corroded shut; the beacon was recovered later in the wreck investigation.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079080Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaLost at Sea: The Nameless Current That Took the Adeline Cross A nameless current moving at two to three knots on the surface and faster below pulled a coastal freighter into a ledge nobody had ever feared - and left two sailors clinging to a life...
A nameless current moving at two to three knots on the surface and faster below pulled a coastal freighter into a ledge nobody had ever feared - and left two sailors clinging to a life raft while a third vanished. How could an uncharted flow overpower a seasoned crew, disable engines, and stop an EPIRB from ever sending a call?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the morning a dry-bag washed ashore to the collision that sank the Adeline Cross, tracing the crew, the vessel, and the unexplained marine force that decided their fate. What exactly is this unnamed current and how did it slip past every chart and precaution?

Person: Stanley Hill
Person: Deborah Fain
Person: Marcus Cho
Event: Collision with Faber Ledge
Date: Sunday, December 2

- At 06:15 on Thursday, December 6, a translucent orange dry-bag was found on Faber Street dock containing a logbook, glasses, and a playing card marked "Tuesday. Day 4, still moving."
- The Adeline Cross departed Port Halverson at 07:40 and had cleared the harbor entrance by 08:20 before turning southeast toward Cutler Point.
- Between mile eight and mile nine the vessel encountered a current moving 2-3 knots at the surface and faster below, after which the engine overheated and seized.
- The ship struck the north arm of Faber Ledge and sank in under twenty minutes; two crew members reached a life raft while one, Marcus Cho, was trapped in the engine room and not recovered.
- The vessel's EPIRB did not transmit during the incident because its hydrostatic release had corroded shut; the beacon was recovered later in the wreck investigation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1099falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-logbook-that-shouldn-t-be-ashore-secrets-of-the-alderman--73079079
A washed logbook turned up in a Maine snowdrift on November 14, 2019 - dry, legible, and 41 road miles from where the Alderman lay in 212 feet of water - yet the boat had sunk 280 nautical miles from where the search was focused. How did a seemingly impossible set of errors and a single misread digit in a Mayday transmission put rescuers in the wrong ocean, and what did that logbook reveal about what the search missed?

In this episode, we follow the day-by-day timeline of the Alderman’s final passage, the crew’s preparations and injuries, the flawed relay of coordinates to Halifax, and the discovery that challenged assumptions about how evidence survives a sinking. What sequence of small failures turned a routine coastal run into a six-day survival ordeal?

Date: November 6, 2019
Person: Pamela Marshall
Person: Warren Tillis
Person: Frank Poole
Location: Gulf of Maine

- The logbook was found by Lisa Whitley on Route Nine in eastern Maine on November 14, 2019, in a snowdrift, spiral-bound and dry.
- The Alderman was sitting in 212 feet of water when the logbook was retrieved ashore 41 road miles from the nearest shore point referenced.
- At 02:17 on November 6, Pamela Marshall broadcast a Mayday with position 43°51′N, 66°12′W; the relay altered the longitude to 61°.
- The Alderman was 90 nautical miles southeast of the Maine coast at 02:00 as winds reached sustained 38-44 knots with gusts up to 52 knots.
- Warren Tillis suffered a forearm fracture from a boom strike at 02:17 that went undiagnosed for nearly 30 hours, later developing compartment syndrome.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079079Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Logbook That Shouldn't Be Ashore: Secrets of the Alderman A washed logbook turned up in a Maine snowdrift on November 14, 2019 - dry, legible, and 41 road miles from where the Alderman lay in 212 feet of water - yet the boat had sunk 280...
A washed logbook turned up in a Maine snowdrift on November 14, 2019 - dry, legible, and 41 road miles from where the Alderman lay in 212 feet of water - yet the boat had sunk 280 nautical miles from where the search was focused. How did a seemingly impossible set of errors and a single misread digit in a Mayday transmission put rescuers in the wrong ocean, and what did that logbook reveal about what the search missed?

In this episode, we follow the day-by-day timeline of the Alderman’s final passage, the crew’s preparations and injuries, the flawed relay of coordinates to Halifax, and the discovery that challenged assumptions about how evidence survives a sinking. What sequence of small failures turned a routine coastal run into a six-day survival ordeal?

Date: November 6, 2019
Person: Pamela Marshall
Person: Warren Tillis
Person: Frank Poole
Location: Gulf of Maine

- The logbook was found by Lisa Whitley on Route Nine in eastern Maine on November 14, 2019, in a snowdrift, spiral-bound and dry.
- The Alderman was sitting in 212 feet of water when the logbook was retrieved ashore 41 road miles from the nearest shore point referenced.
- At 02:17 on November 6, Pamela Marshall broadcast a Mayday with position 43°51′N, 66°12′W; the relay altered the longitude to 61°.
- The Alderman was 90 nautical miles southeast of the Maine coast at 02:00 as winds reached sustained 38-44 knots with gusts up to 52 knots.
- Warren Tillis suffered a forearm fracture from a boom strike at 02:17 that went undiagnosed for nearly 30 hours, later developing compartment syndrome.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1005falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/twenty-days-at-sea-the-voice-that-drifted-fourteen-miles-inland--73079078
The moment a lineman stepped into a cattle pond and saw a faded orange vest, he assumed a dead calf-until the recorder around the man’s neck kept clicking and a voice answered. A 52-year-old marine electrician spent twenty days at sea, recorded almost every hour, and somehow washed up fourteen miles from the nearest salt water; how did a man with a VHF, backup GPS and a yellow Marantz recorder end up in a cattle pond with no waterway to the Gulf? What do those lost twenty days sound like?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from departure to discovery as conveyed by the man who lived them, in his own recorded log entries. We trace the timeline from the September 29th departure through the rigging failure, the lost navigation, the shark encounters and the dwindling supplies, asking how drift, damage and decisions combined to produce a search corridor that never matched where he actually went.

Person: Gary O'Connor
Date of departure: September 29, 2011
Age: 52
Equipment: handheld VHF, backup GPS with shattered screen, Marantz voice recorder in yellow housing
Discovery: October 19, 2011, in a cattle pond fourteen miles from nearest salt water

- Gary recorded his first entry before the marina was out of sight, noting fuel level, wind direction and time.
- On approximately October 3, the forestay failed, the mast went over port, and the boom struck his left shoulder, rendering his left arm largely unusable.
- After the fall, Gary used bolt cutters from the starboard lazarette to free rigging one-handed and ran the engine for 22 hours until it stopped.
- He transmitted on VHF channel 16 for about two hours after the mast collapse and received no response.
- Gary was found alive on October 19, wearing an inflatable vest, with his Marantz recorder still running.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079078Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaTwenty Days at Sea: The Voice That Drifted Fourteen Miles Inland The moment a lineman stepped into a cattle pond and saw a faded orange vest, he assumed a dead calf-until the recorder around the man’s neck kept clicking and a voice answered. A...
The moment a lineman stepped into a cattle pond and saw a faded orange vest, he assumed a dead calf-until the recorder around the man’s neck kept clicking and a voice answered. A 52-year-old marine electrician spent twenty days at sea, recorded almost every hour, and somehow washed up fourteen miles from the nearest salt water; how did a man with a VHF, backup GPS and a yellow Marantz recorder end up in a cattle pond with no waterway to the Gulf? What do those lost twenty days sound like?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from departure to discovery as conveyed by the man who lived them, in his own recorded log entries. We trace the timeline from the September 29th departure through the rigging failure, the lost navigation, the shark encounters and the dwindling supplies, asking how drift, damage and decisions combined to produce a search corridor that never matched where he actually went.

Person: Gary O'Connor
Date of departure: September 29, 2011
Age: 52
Equipment: handheld VHF, backup GPS with shattered screen, Marantz voice recorder in yellow housing
Discovery: October 19, 2011, in a cattle pond fourteen miles from nearest salt water

- Gary recorded his first entry before the marina was out of sight, noting fuel level, wind direction and time.
- On approximately October 3, the forestay failed, the mast went over port, and the boom struck his left shoulder, rendering his left arm largely unusable.
- After the fall, Gary used bolt cutters from the starboard lazarette to free rigging one-handed and ran the engine for 22 hours until it stopped.
- He transmitted on VHF channel 16 for about two hours after the mast collapse and received no response.
- Gary was found alive on October 19, wearing an inflatable vest, with his Marantz recorder still running.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1010falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-suit-s-diary-who-walked-off-aldercroft-alive--73079075
A raw, methodical sequence of choices left a sealed, perfectly dry spiral notebook on a public launch ramp while everything around it was soaked - the notebook records everything in handwriting that is not the captain’s. Who sealed the log inside a drysuit, why the drysuit was on the captain when he died, and which of the three left Aldercroft alive?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from departure to rescue search and the critical decisions made aboard Aldercroft that shaped the outcome, focusing on the logbook, the drysuit, and the eleven-mile navigational error that shifted the search - who sealed the notebook inside the suit and why?

Person: Pete Calloway
Person: Mitch Sundaram
Person: Darlene Reynolds
Date: September 13-17
Location: Halverson Spit / offshore northern Oregon coast

- The spiral-bound notebook was found dry on Halverson Spit on the morning of September 19.
- Aldercroft left Halverson Harbor on September 13 with three people aboard and one did not return.
- The main mast failed at ~02:00 on September 15, crushing Calloway’s right hand and fracturing Sundaram’s left forearm.
- Darlene Reynolds wrote the final log entry at 02:15 on September 15 and sealed it inside the waterproof pocket of the drysuit.
- The vessel had drifted 11 miles south-southwest of Calloway’s memorized position before the mast fell, shifting the search grid and delaying correct search area identification by 61 hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079075Tue, 04 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Suit's Diary: Who Walked Off Aldercroft Alive? A raw, methodical sequence of choices left a sealed, perfectly dry spiral notebook on a public launch ramp while everything around it was soaked - the notebook records everything in handwriting...
A raw, methodical sequence of choices left a sealed, perfectly dry spiral notebook on a public launch ramp while everything around it was soaked - the notebook records everything in handwriting that is not the captain’s. Who sealed the log inside a drysuit, why the drysuit was on the captain when he died, and which of the three left Aldercroft alive?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from departure to rescue search and the critical decisions made aboard Aldercroft that shaped the outcome, focusing on the logbook, the drysuit, and the eleven-mile navigational error that shifted the search - who sealed the notebook inside the suit and why?

Person: Pete Calloway
Person: Mitch Sundaram
Person: Darlene Reynolds
Date: September 13-17
Location: Halverson Spit / offshore northern Oregon coast

- The spiral-bound notebook was found dry on Halverson Spit on the morning of September 19.
- Aldercroft left Halverson Harbor on September 13 with three people aboard and one did not return.
- The main mast failed at ~02:00 on September 15, crushing Calloway’s right hand and fracturing Sundaram’s left forearm.
- Darlene Reynolds wrote the final log entry at 02:15 on September 15 and sealed it inside the waterproof pocket of the drysuit.
- The vessel had drifted 11 miles south-southwest of Calloway’s memorized position before the mast fell, shifting the search grid and delaying correct search area identification by 61 hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1213falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-nailed-shoe-72-miles-from-a-lost-child-s-last-trace--73079074
A bleached size-four child's sneaker was found nailed to buoy 41 during a routine canal patrol-72 miles from where a sailboat sank eighteen days earlier and with no laces and a four-inch galvanized nail driven through its tongue. Who nailed a child's shoe to a buoy, and what does it mean for a five-year-old who vanished when a thirty-two-foot sloop sank?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a routine skiff inspection to a Gulf search-and-rescue launched on the wrong coordinates, reconstructing the voyage, the storm, and the moments after the Celia Anne went down to ask what one shoe might reveal.

Person: Lloyd Fitzgerald
Person: Pete Schaefer
Person: Nora Peake
Date: August 7, 2014
Location: buoy 41

- The shoe found was a left sneaker, size four, bleached canvas with the sole separated along the toe.
- A four-inch galvanized nail had been driven through the shoe's tongue into the wood of buoy 41.
- The Celia Anne was a thirty-two-foot sloop purchased in April 2014 for $61,000.
- The EPIRB transmitted for six hours but sent a corrupted GPS position forty miles north-northeast of the actual sinking.
- The shoe was discovered on August 27, 2014, seventy-two miles from where the boat sank on August 9, 2014.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079074Mon, 03 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Nailed Shoe: 72 Miles From a Lost Child's Last Trace A bleached size-four child's sneaker was found nailed to buoy 41 during a routine canal patrol-72 miles from where a sailboat sank eighteen days earlier and with no laces and a four-inch...
A bleached size-four child's sneaker was found nailed to buoy 41 during a routine canal patrol-72 miles from where a sailboat sank eighteen days earlier and with no laces and a four-inch galvanized nail driven through its tongue. Who nailed a child's shoe to a buoy, and what does it mean for a five-year-old who vanished when a thirty-two-foot sloop sank?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a routine skiff inspection to a Gulf search-and-rescue launched on the wrong coordinates, reconstructing the voyage, the storm, and the moments after the Celia Anne went down to ask what one shoe might reveal.

Person: Lloyd Fitzgerald
Person: Pete Schaefer
Person: Nora Peake
Date: August 7, 2014
Location: buoy 41

- The shoe found was a left sneaker, size four, bleached canvas with the sole separated along the toe.
- A four-inch galvanized nail had been driven through the shoe's tongue into the wood of buoy 41.
- The Celia Anne was a thirty-two-foot sloop purchased in April 2014 for $61,000.
- The EPIRB transmitted for six hours but sent a corrupted GPS position forty miles north-northeast of the actual sinking.
- The shoe was discovered on August 27, 2014, seventy-two miles from where the boat sank on August 9, 2014.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1089falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-notebook-drowned-radio-how-stanley-sharp-survived-nine-days-alone--73079072
A man survived nine days on an orange life raft in the Gulf with a dry spiral-bound notebook six inches from his head and a working VHF radio that kept dying; the EPIRB that should have saved him was registered to a different vessel and guided rescuers fifty miles the wrong way-how did the system fail him for so long? Who heard his voice and did nothing?

In this episode, you will hear what actually happened from the moment Stanley Sharp launched to the moment rescuers found him, tracing his gear, his routine, the weather, and the official decisions that misdirected the search-could a single registration error and one misread signal explain nine days adrift?

Person: Stanley Sharp
Date: July 10-19, 2011
Location: Gulf of Mexico, near Manatee Shoal
Event: Life raft deployment and prolonged drift after vessel sank
Status: Rescued after nine days adrift

- Notebook found dry on the floor of an orange life raft wedged against the pylons at Manatee Shoal at 7:40 AM on July 19, 2011.
- Sharp had been adrift for seven days and four hours when the notebook was found; overall he survived nine days alone.
- He left the dock on July 10, 2011 and launched by 6:45 AM after being twenty minutes late.
- His survival equipment included six liters of fresh water, a portable VHF radio at about 60% battery, two parachute flares, three handheld flares, a fishing line, a signal mirror, and a personal EPIRB.
- The EPIRB authenticated to the Rescue Coordination Center to a vessel named Marsh Hen owned by Suncoast Sailing Charters, placing the signal roughly fifty miles from Sharp’s actual position.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079072Sun, 02 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Notebook, Drowned Radio: How Stanley Sharp Survived Nine Days Alone A man survived nine days on an orange life raft in the Gulf with a dry spiral-bound notebook six inches from his head and a working VHF radio that kept dying; the EPIRB that...
A man survived nine days on an orange life raft in the Gulf with a dry spiral-bound notebook six inches from his head and a working VHF radio that kept dying; the EPIRB that should have saved him was registered to a different vessel and guided rescuers fifty miles the wrong way-how did the system fail him for so long? Who heard his voice and did nothing?

In this episode, you will hear what actually happened from the moment Stanley Sharp launched to the moment rescuers found him, tracing his gear, his routine, the weather, and the official decisions that misdirected the search-could a single registration error and one misread signal explain nine days adrift?

Person: Stanley Sharp
Date: July 10-19, 2011
Location: Gulf of Mexico, near Manatee Shoal
Event: Life raft deployment and prolonged drift after vessel sank
Status: Rescued after nine days adrift

- Notebook found dry on the floor of an orange life raft wedged against the pylons at Manatee Shoal at 7:40 AM on July 19, 2011.
- Sharp had been adrift for seven days and four hours when the notebook was found; overall he survived nine days alone.
- He left the dock on July 10, 2011 and launched by 6:45 AM after being twenty minutes late.
- His survival equipment included six liters of fresh water, a portable VHF radio at about 60% battery, two parachute flares, three handheld flares, a fishing line, a signal mirror, and a personal EPIRB.
- The EPIRB authenticated to the Rescue Coordination Center to a vessel named Marsh Hen owned by Suncoast Sailing Charters, placing the signal roughly fifty miles from Sharp’s actual position.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1123falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-smell-that-saved-her-138-hours-clinging-to-a-hatch--73079071
The smell reached her before anything else - a mineral, medicinal scent of bull kelp that told a twenty-two-year-old she was moving toward land after 138 hours adrift. How did a sand-dollar gift, a lost GPS, and one taught smell become the thin line between rescue and a different ending?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the night of June 8, 2019 to the afternoon of June 14, 2019, hearing how Vicki Green survived on a hatch cover, how a PLB signal placed her eleven miles closer to shore than she really was, and why pieces of information failed to converge in time. What crucial moments and missed signals changed everything?

Person: Vicki Green
Date: June 8-14, 2019
Location: Northern California coast, adrift 138 hours
Vessel: Alondra, 44-foot keelboat
Signal time: PLB received at 23:57 on June 8

- Vicki was 22 years old and had been enrolled in a community college business program in June 2019.
- The Alondra was making a roughly 160-mile delivery from Woodley Island Marina in Eureka to Fort Bragg.
- The satellite system placed Vicki eleven miles closer to shore than her actual position.
- Vicki activated her personal locator beacon as the boat went under; the SARSAT system received the signal at 23:57 on June 8.
- A surveillance aircraft logged floating debris approximately 14 miles southwest on June 11 (day three).

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079071Sat, 01 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Smell That Saved Her: 138 Hours Clinging to a Hatch The smell reached her before anything else - a mineral, medicinal scent of bull kelp that told a twenty-two-year-old she was moving toward land after 138 hours adrift. How did a sand-dollar...
The smell reached her before anything else - a mineral, medicinal scent of bull kelp that told a twenty-two-year-old she was moving toward land after 138 hours adrift. How did a sand-dollar gift, a lost GPS, and one taught smell become the thin line between rescue and a different ending?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the night of June 8, 2019 to the afternoon of June 14, 2019, hearing how Vicki Green survived on a hatch cover, how a PLB signal placed her eleven miles closer to shore than she really was, and why pieces of information failed to converge in time. What crucial moments and missed signals changed everything?

Person: Vicki Green
Date: June 8-14, 2019
Location: Northern California coast, adrift 138 hours
Vessel: Alondra, 44-foot keelboat
Signal time: PLB received at 23:57 on June 8

- Vicki was 22 years old and had been enrolled in a community college business program in June 2019.
- The Alondra was making a roughly 160-mile delivery from Woodley Island Marina in Eureka to Fort Bragg.
- The satellite system placed Vicki eleven miles closer to shore than her actual position.
- Vicki activated her personal locator beacon as the boat went under; the SARSAT system received the signal at 23:57 on June 8.
- A surveillance aircraft logged floating debris approximately 14 miles southwest on June 11 (day three).

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1216falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-sneaker-how-a-child-s-shoe-betrayed-an-eleven-day-drift--73079069
A single white child's sneaker - left foot, size four, white canvas with pink stars - washed ashore with a dry interior despite having floated at sea for eleven days, a materials analyst later called the odds roughly one in several thousand. That impossible shoe led back to a thirty-two-foot sloop, a captain rationing one liter of water per day, and a rescue signal plotted forty-three miles off; how did an EPIRB, atmospheric ducting, and a known antenna drift combine to send searchers in the wrong direction?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from May 7-19, 2011: the departure from Galveston, the sudden storm that disabled Celia Marie, the EPIRB activation and the forty-three-mile coordinate error, and the sneaker found by a trotline fisherman; what choices and mechanical failures turned routine rituals into an eleven-day survival?

Person: Heather Reynolds
Date: May 7-19, 2011
Location: Gulf of Mexico (final drift 61 miles from last known position)
Vessel: Celia Marie, 32-foot sloop
Signal error: 43-mile antenna/calibration offset compounded by atmospheric ducting

- The sneaker was a left foot, size 4, white canvas with pink stars and had a soaked exterior but a perfectly dry interior.
- On May 7 gusts exceeded 35 knots by 4 PM and over 45 knots by 6 PM, after morning buoy winds of 10-15 knots.
- The drogue held for six hours before dragging, the chartplotter short-circuited, and the handheld GPS failed after the storm.
- Celia Marie drifted sixty-one miles in eleven hours and ended up outside normal shipping corridors.
- Heather activated her EPIRB at 06:47 on May 8; the signal reached New Orleans but was plotted 43 miles east due to antenna drift and atmospheric ducting.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079069Fri, 31 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Sneaker: How a Child's Shoe Betrayed an Eleven-Day Drift A single white child's sneaker - left foot, size four, white canvas with pink stars - washed ashore with a dry interior despite having floated at sea for eleven days, a materials...
A single white child's sneaker - left foot, size four, white canvas with pink stars - washed ashore with a dry interior despite having floated at sea for eleven days, a materials analyst later called the odds roughly one in several thousand. That impossible shoe led back to a thirty-two-foot sloop, a captain rationing one liter of water per day, and a rescue signal plotted forty-three miles off; how did an EPIRB, atmospheric ducting, and a known antenna drift combine to send searchers in the wrong direction?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from May 7-19, 2011: the departure from Galveston, the sudden storm that disabled Celia Marie, the EPIRB activation and the forty-three-mile coordinate error, and the sneaker found by a trotline fisherman; what choices and mechanical failures turned routine rituals into an eleven-day survival?

Person: Heather Reynolds
Date: May 7-19, 2011
Location: Gulf of Mexico (final drift 61 miles from last known position)
Vessel: Celia Marie, 32-foot sloop
Signal error: 43-mile antenna/calibration offset compounded by atmospheric ducting

- The sneaker was a left foot, size 4, white canvas with pink stars and had a soaked exterior but a perfectly dry interior.
- On May 7 gusts exceeded 35 knots by 4 PM and over 45 knots by 6 PM, after morning buoy winds of 10-15 knots.
- The drogue held for six hours before dragging, the chartplotter short-circuited, and the handheld GPS failed after the storm.
- Celia Marie drifted sixty-one miles in eleven hours and ended up outside normal shipping corridors.
- Heather activated her EPIRB at 06:47 on May 8; the signal reached New Orleans but was plotted 43 miles east due to antenna drift and atmospheric ducting.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1146falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/survivor-clings-to-debris-for-eight-days-the-valerie-vaughn-ordeal--73079068
A 62-year-old captain clung to cockpit cushions and a fender, rationing water to less than four ounces a day, after her 1993 Mainship 40 sank far off course - how did warm eggs on a drifting boat steer the investigation away from the true story? What broke down that left Valerie Vaughn alone on debris for eight days before anyone understood what had happened?

In this episode, we tell what happened from the morning her trawler was first spotted adrift to the days she survived on marine debris, the equipment failures she faced, and the missed sightings that might have changed everything. How did a routine coastal passage become an eight-day ordeal that began with a failed autopilot and ended with a baffling clue?

Person: Valerie Vaughn
Date: April 1-9, 2019
Vessel: 1993 Mainship 40, Lady of Pelicans
Location: Sixty miles northwest of planned track (off Last Island / Caillou Bay area)
Provisioning: Seven days filed; rationed water to

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079068Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaSurvivor Clings to Debris for Eight Days: The Valerie Vaughn Ordeal A 62-year-old captain clung to cockpit cushions and a fender, rationing water to less than four ounces a day, after her 1993 Mainship 40 sank far off course - how did warm eggs on...
A 62-year-old captain clung to cockpit cushions and a fender, rationing water to less than four ounces a day, after her 1993 Mainship 40 sank far off course - how did warm eggs on a drifting boat steer the investigation away from the true story? What broke down that left Valerie Vaughn alone on debris for eight days before anyone understood what had happened?

In this episode, we tell what happened from the morning her trawler was first spotted adrift to the days she survived on marine debris, the equipment failures she faced, and the missed sightings that might have changed everything. How did a routine coastal passage become an eight-day ordeal that began with a failed autopilot and ended with a baffling clue?

Person: Valerie Vaughn
Date: April 1-9, 2019
Vessel: 1993 Mainship 40, Lady of Pelicans
Location: Sixty miles northwest of planned track (off Last Island / Caillou Bay area)
Provisioning: Seven days filed; rationed water to

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1192falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/waterlogged-journal-intact-bowline-how-six-sailors-vanished-and-came-back--73079067
A waterproof journal washed up on a marina concrete apron 312 nautical miles from the wreck, its last entry dated March 16 and an orange Bic still tied by fishing line to its cover - the line fastened to nothing. What pulled that logbook across the Gulf and why the bowline and pen survived intact is one mystery; the other is why the woman who tied that knot had already survived so much before that voyage.

In this episode, we follow the March 2014 offshore passage of two nearly identical 22-foot sloops and the six people aboard, tracing the split float plans, a sudden squall that brought a mast down, and the six days that followed as one vessel balanced on a knife edge - could a simple logbook and a fixed compass hold the key to what happened?

Date: March 8-16, 2014
Location: Gulf of Mexico / Bradenton departure
Vessels: Parcel and Freeboard, 22-foot fiberglass sloops
Person: Kimberly Phillips, 24, rigging assistant
Event: Squall at 23:15 on March 9; mast dropped, Parcel listed 30 degrees

- The waterproof journal contained seven days of pencil navigation estimates with its last entry dated March 16.
- The journal arrived at Teller County Marina on March 19, 312 nautical miles from the sunken vessel.
- The Parcel and the Freeboard were both 22-foot fiberglass sloops that departed Bradenton on March 8.
- The squall hit at 23:15 on March 9, doubling windspeed and causing the Parcel’s mast to come down.
- After the mast fell, the Parcel listed 30 degrees with a hole at the waterline and the mast lashed to the hull, keeping the gunwale just above the surface.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079067Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWaterlogged Journal, Intact Bowline: How Six Sailors Vanished and Came Back A waterproof journal washed up on a marina concrete apron 312 nautical miles from the wreck, its last entry dated March 16 and an orange Bic still tied by fishing line to...
A waterproof journal washed up on a marina concrete apron 312 nautical miles from the wreck, its last entry dated March 16 and an orange Bic still tied by fishing line to its cover - the line fastened to nothing. What pulled that logbook across the Gulf and why the bowline and pen survived intact is one mystery; the other is why the woman who tied that knot had already survived so much before that voyage.

In this episode, we follow the March 2014 offshore passage of two nearly identical 22-foot sloops and the six people aboard, tracing the split float plans, a sudden squall that brought a mast down, and the six days that followed as one vessel balanced on a knife edge - could a simple logbook and a fixed compass hold the key to what happened?

Date: March 8-16, 2014
Location: Gulf of Mexico / Bradenton departure
Vessels: Parcel and Freeboard, 22-foot fiberglass sloops
Person: Kimberly Phillips, 24, rigging assistant
Event: Squall at 23:15 on March 9; mast dropped, Parcel listed 30 degrees

- The waterproof journal contained seven days of pencil navigation estimates with its last entry dated March 16.
- The journal arrived at Teller County Marina on March 19, 312 nautical miles from the sunken vessel.
- The Parcel and the Freeboard were both 22-foot fiberglass sloops that departed Bradenton on March 8.
- The squall hit at 23:15 on March 9, doubling windspeed and causing the Parcel’s mast to come down.
- After the mast fell, the Parcel listed 30 degrees with a hole at the waterline and the mast lashed to the hull, keeping the gunwale just above the surface.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1152falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-kept-a-dry-mirror-how-one-flare-and-a-sister-saved-her--73079066
She kept a dry mirror that reflected sun like a signal lamp even though the back of it was soaked through; the etched initials R.W. and an unfinished date were the only handwriting she left behind. Eight days after Rachel Whitfield left Everglades City, a retired dental hygienist found that mirror eight inches below the surface - but how did one flare and a missed weekly call become the thin thread that brought Rachel home?

In this episode, we tell what happened from Rachel's departure on February 7 to the discovery on February 19, following the decisions she made aboard the Callie Anne, the search plotted in the wrong place, and the sister who noticed the missing call. How did a flooded flare kit, a dry-faced mirror, and a sister's routine phone call combine to change the course of a search?

Person: Rachel Whitfield
Date: February 7, 2019
Location: Everglades City to Rodriguez Key crossing (Florida Bay)
Vessel: Callie Anne, 31-foot fiberglass sloop
Finder: Connie Marshall

- Rachel left Palmetto marina at 6:00 AM on February 7, 2019, heading for Rodriguez Key roughly 90 miles northeast across Florida Bay.
- By 2:00 PM the same day, the Callie Anne was 22 nautical miles southwest of Cape Romano with winds at 37 knots before a knockdown broke the mast.
- The knockdown threw the flare kit hard enough to compromise the O-ring seal; at 7:12 AM on February 8 every parachute flare was found saturated.
- Rachel had called her sister Bev every Wednesday evening for 11 years and failed to call on the night of February 6, which Bev noticed.
- Connie Marshall found a rectangular mirror eight inches below the surface on February 19, 2019, with the reflective face dry, the back soaked, and the metal frame scratched “R.W.” with “Feb.” and an unfinished date.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079066Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:00:24 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Kept a Dry Mirror: How One Flare and a Sister Saved Her She kept a dry mirror that reflected sun like a signal lamp even though the back of it was soaked through; the etched initials R.W. and an unfinished date were the only handwriting she...
She kept a dry mirror that reflected sun like a signal lamp even though the back of it was soaked through; the etched initials R.W. and an unfinished date were the only handwriting she left behind. Eight days after Rachel Whitfield left Everglades City, a retired dental hygienist found that mirror eight inches below the surface - but how did one flare and a missed weekly call become the thin thread that brought Rachel home?

In this episode, we tell what happened from Rachel's departure on February 7 to the discovery on February 19, following the decisions she made aboard the Callie Anne, the search plotted in the wrong place, and the sister who noticed the missing call. How did a flooded flare kit, a dry-faced mirror, and a sister's routine phone call combine to change the course of a search?

Person: Rachel Whitfield
Date: February 7, 2019
Location: Everglades City to Rodriguez Key crossing (Florida Bay)
Vessel: Callie Anne, 31-foot fiberglass sloop
Finder: Connie Marshall

- Rachel left Palmetto marina at 6:00 AM on February 7, 2019, heading for Rodriguez Key roughly 90 miles northeast across Florida Bay.
- By 2:00 PM the same day, the Callie Anne was 22 nautical miles southwest of Cape Romano with winds at 37 knots before a knockdown broke the mast.
- The knockdown threw the flare kit hard enough to compromise the O-ring seal; at 7:12 AM on February 8 every parachute flare was found saturated.
- Rachel had called her sister Bev every Wednesday evening for 11 years and failed to call on the night of February 6, which Bev noticed.
- Connie Marshall found a rectangular mirror eight inches below the surface on February 19, 2019, with the reflective face dry, the back soaked, and the metal frame scratched “R.W.” with “Feb.” and an unfinished date.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1107falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/one-wave-changes-everything-the-adrienne-lee-survival-case--73079065
A single untriggered emergency beacon sat bone dry on a concrete ramp six days after the vessel it belonged to vanished - the device never sent a signal because it never saw open water. Twenty-eight hours after a cross-sea struck, a 51-year-old owner was gone and the only rescue device had traveled from chart table to bilge without activating; how did one missed gesture become the difference between rescue and disappearance?

In this episode, we tell what happened aboard the Adrienne Lee from departure to the moment Christine Vickers realized the EPIRB had never worked, following the decisions, gear, and conditions that defined the voyage and asking how routine choices changed everything.

Person: Walt Ferris
Person: Christine Vickers
Date: January 3-6, 2014
Location: Mirabal, Florida to Gulf waters
Equipment: Class II EPIRB, handheld GPS, VHF, SSB transceiver

- The Adrienne Lee departed Mirabal Marina at 06:00 on January 3, 2014 with 80 gallons of fuel, ten days of fresh water, and two weeks of provisions.
- Walt Ferris was 51 years old and had owned the 38-foot sloop Adrienne Lee for eleven years.
- At approximately 03:00 on January 5, a cross-sea struck, destroying the dodger, shearing the binnacle, and sending the VHF handset overboard.
- Christine Vickers searched for ten minutes with the deck light on after the wave, deployed a horseshoe buoy with a battery strobe, then ran downwind a quarter mile and returned upwind with no sign of Ferris.
- On January 6, Christine found the factory-sealed EPIRB floating in four inches of bilgewater; it had never been exposed to open seawater or manually armed and later exited the hull through the bilge discharge.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079065Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaOne Wave Changes Everything: The Adrienne Lee Survival Case A single untriggered emergency beacon sat bone dry on a concrete ramp six days after the vessel it belonged to vanished - the device never sent a signal because it never saw open water....
A single untriggered emergency beacon sat bone dry on a concrete ramp six days after the vessel it belonged to vanished - the device never sent a signal because it never saw open water. Twenty-eight hours after a cross-sea struck, a 51-year-old owner was gone and the only rescue device had traveled from chart table to bilge without activating; how did one missed gesture become the difference between rescue and disappearance?

In this episode, we tell what happened aboard the Adrienne Lee from departure to the moment Christine Vickers realized the EPIRB had never worked, following the decisions, gear, and conditions that defined the voyage and asking how routine choices changed everything.

Person: Walt Ferris
Person: Christine Vickers
Date: January 3-6, 2014
Location: Mirabal, Florida to Gulf waters
Equipment: Class II EPIRB, handheld GPS, VHF, SSB transceiver

- The Adrienne Lee departed Mirabal Marina at 06:00 on January 3, 2014 with 80 gallons of fuel, ten days of fresh water, and two weeks of provisions.
- Walt Ferris was 51 years old and had owned the 38-foot sloop Adrienne Lee for eleven years.
- At approximately 03:00 on January 5, a cross-sea struck, destroying the dodger, shearing the binnacle, and sending the VHF handset overboard.
- Christine Vickers searched for ten minutes with the deck light on after the wave, deployed a horseshoe buoy with a battery strobe, then ran downwind a quarter mile and returned upwind with no sign of Ferris.
- On January 6, Christine found the factory-sealed EPIRB floating in four inches of bilgewater; it had never been exposed to open seawater or manually armed and later exited the hull through the bilge discharge.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1234falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-adrift-how-one-missing-handle-kept-her-alive-eight-days--73079064
A missing metal handle the size of a palm turned a routine sail into a life-or-death drift: a life raft inflation pull found alone in a ziplock 41 miles from the nearest water, while the sloop that carried it vanished for two weeks - how did Marilyn Casey survive eight days with a broken boat, no radio, and a chartplotter as her only guide? What chain of small omissions led a careful sailor into a storm that should have ended differently?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from departure to discovery, recounting the equipment left aboard, the sudden storm, and the searches that followed to ask how one forgotten step changed everything. Listen to learn how the chartplotter’s glow, a single torn palm, and a snowplow driver on a dark highway became pieces of the same story.

Person: Marilyn Casey
Vessel: Dellwood Star (thirty-two-foot sloop)
Date found (jacket): December 14, 2015
Distance from water: 41 miles
Location at loss: 61 miles northeast of Cape Lookout

- The denim jacket with the ziplock and metal handle was found on Route Nine before sunrise on December 14, 2015.
- The handle removed three days before departure and left on the cockpit workbench was the inflation pull for the life raft.
- The Dellwood Star departed Ocracoke for Beaufort on the morning of December 1, 2015 at 6:40 AM.
- Wind climbed from 15 knots to an estimated 35 knots in under 40 minutes, with a buoy recording a gust near 50 knots.
- The chartplotter remained functional and showed the boat moving south-southeast at roughly two knots while Marilyn was alone aboard.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079064Sun, 26 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Adrift: How One Missing Handle Kept Her Alive Eight Days A missing metal handle the size of a palm turned a routine sail into a life-or-death drift: a life raft inflation pull found alone in a ziplock 41 miles from the nearest water, while the...
A missing metal handle the size of a palm turned a routine sail into a life-or-death drift: a life raft inflation pull found alone in a ziplock 41 miles from the nearest water, while the sloop that carried it vanished for two weeks - how did Marilyn Casey survive eight days with a broken boat, no radio, and a chartplotter as her only guide? What chain of small omissions led a careful sailor into a storm that should have ended differently?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from departure to discovery, recounting the equipment left aboard, the sudden storm, and the searches that followed to ask how one forgotten step changed everything. Listen to learn how the chartplotter’s glow, a single torn palm, and a snowplow driver on a dark highway became pieces of the same story.

Person: Marilyn Casey
Vessel: Dellwood Star (thirty-two-foot sloop)
Date found (jacket): December 14, 2015
Distance from water: 41 miles
Location at loss: 61 miles northeast of Cape Lookout

- The denim jacket with the ziplock and metal handle was found on Route Nine before sunrise on December 14, 2015.
- The handle removed three days before departure and left on the cockpit workbench was the inflation pull for the life raft.
- The Dellwood Star departed Ocracoke for Beaufort on the morning of December 1, 2015 at 6:40 AM.
- Wind climbed from 15 knots to an estimated 35 knots in under 40 minutes, with a buoy recording a gust near 50 knots.
- The chartplotter remained functional and showed the boat moving south-southeast at roughly two knots while Marilyn was alone aboard.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1112falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-shoe-on-the-transformer-a-lifeboat-s-silent-sos-at-sea--73079063
A single white canvas sneaker, soaked in salt water, sat on a transformer casing two point one meters off the ground with twelve words taped to its ankle: "M.J. - port. 3 swim. 4 no." Forty miles offshore, six people in a lifeboat had just spent thirty-seven hours believing no one was looking for them - but every distress signal that night pointed eleven nautical miles away. How did a shoe become the only clue to a rescue searching the wrong ocean?

In this episode, we follow the events before and after the collision on November 8, 2009, describing the crew, the lifeboat, the malfunctioning navigation signals, and the subsequent Coast Guard search that began at incorrect coordinates. What went wrong with the ship’s systems and the rescue response that left survivors drifting while an EPIRB transmitted false positions?

Person: Angela Quinn
Event: Collision between Felton Meridian and Carver Strait
Date: November 8, 2009
Location: Approximately forty miles offshore (actual) vs eleven nautical miles error (reported)
Status: Seven crew launched lifeboat; two crew did not survive

- A white canvas sneaker was found two point one meters off the ground on a transformer casing with a strip of first-aid adhesive and twelve handwritten words.
- The Carver Strait was a coastal tanker two hundred and forty feet long with nine crew aboard.
- The collision occurred at 21:22 and the Carver Strait sank at approximately 21:53, thirty-one minutes after impact.
- The ship’s AIS transponder had been reporting a position eleven nautical miles northeast of the ship’s actual location.
- The lifeboat with survivors spent thirty-seven hours believing no one was looking while the Coast Guard search operated at the wrong coordinates.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079063Sat, 25 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Shoe on the Transformer: A Lifeboat's Silent SOS at Sea A single white canvas sneaker, soaked in salt water, sat on a transformer casing two point one meters off the ground with twelve words taped to its ankle: "M.J. - port. 3 swim. 4 no."...
A single white canvas sneaker, soaked in salt water, sat on a transformer casing two point one meters off the ground with twelve words taped to its ankle: "M.J. - port. 3 swim. 4 no." Forty miles offshore, six people in a lifeboat had just spent thirty-seven hours believing no one was looking for them - but every distress signal that night pointed eleven nautical miles away. How did a shoe become the only clue to a rescue searching the wrong ocean?

In this episode, we follow the events before and after the collision on November 8, 2009, describing the crew, the lifeboat, the malfunctioning navigation signals, and the subsequent Coast Guard search that began at incorrect coordinates. What went wrong with the ship’s systems and the rescue response that left survivors drifting while an EPIRB transmitted false positions?

Person: Angela Quinn
Event: Collision between Felton Meridian and Carver Strait
Date: November 8, 2009
Location: Approximately forty miles offshore (actual) vs eleven nautical miles error (reported)
Status: Seven crew launched lifeboat; two crew did not survive

- A white canvas sneaker was found two point one meters off the ground on a transformer casing with a strip of first-aid adhesive and twelve handwritten words.
- The Carver Strait was a coastal tanker two hundred and forty feet long with nine crew aboard.
- The collision occurred at 21:22 and the Carver Strait sank at approximately 21:53, thirty-one minutes after impact.
- The ship’s AIS transponder had been reporting a position eleven nautical miles northeast of the ship’s actual location.
- The lifeboat with survivors spent thirty-seven hours believing no one was looking while the Coast Guard search operated at the wrong coordinates.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1154falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/notebook-survives-eleven-days-at-sea-the-ardea-grey-ordeal--73079062
Find the notebook washed between concrete blocks at Harwick Inlet and you hold eleven days of survival in legible ink: forty-three pages, a pharmacy-issue spiral cover, and a waterlogged path that began with a failed watermaker and ended with a missing EPIRB position. How did a carefully kept log record the exact moment routine became catastrophe, and what answers were left on those final pages?

In this episode, we follow the chronology written in the recovered notebook and the official signals tied to the sloop Ardea Grey, tracing the decisions, failures, and small details that shaped eleven days at sea; what do those entries reveal about the people aboard and the moment help disappeared?

Person: Frank Delaney
Person: Marcus Webb
Person: Person: Sarah Clark
Date: October 2-14, 2019
Vessel: Ardea Grey

- The notebook recovered on October 14, 2019 had a sun-bleached laminated cover and contained forty-three pages of handwritten entries.
- The Ardea Grey departed Westport on the morning of October 2, 2019 for an approximately four-hundred-mile passage to Queen Charlotte Sound.
- The crew consisted of three: Frank Delaney (51), Marcus Webb (22), and Sarah Clark (28); Sarah had about fourteen thousand offshore miles and joined six weeks before departure.
- A watermaker failed early in the voyage, leaving sixty gallons of tank water as the only fresh-water supply for the three people aboard.
- At 02:11 on October 3, 2019 a shackle on the starboard shroud failed during an estimated fifty-two-knot gust, the mast came down, punched the deck, and the EPIRB activated at 02:14 but transmitted no coordinates.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079062Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:00:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaNotebook Survives Eleven Days at Sea: The Ardea Grey Ordeal Find the notebook washed between concrete blocks at Harwick Inlet and you hold eleven days of survival in legible ink: forty-three pages, a pharmacy-issue spiral cover, and a waterlogged...
Find the notebook washed between concrete blocks at Harwick Inlet and you hold eleven days of survival in legible ink: forty-three pages, a pharmacy-issue spiral cover, and a waterlogged path that began with a failed watermaker and ended with a missing EPIRB position. How did a carefully kept log record the exact moment routine became catastrophe, and what answers were left on those final pages?

In this episode, we follow the chronology written in the recovered notebook and the official signals tied to the sloop Ardea Grey, tracing the decisions, failures, and small details that shaped eleven days at sea; what do those entries reveal about the people aboard and the moment help disappeared?

Person: Frank Delaney
Person: Marcus Webb
Person: Person: Sarah Clark
Date: October 2-14, 2019
Vessel: Ardea Grey

- The notebook recovered on October 14, 2019 had a sun-bleached laminated cover and contained forty-three pages of handwritten entries.
- The Ardea Grey departed Westport on the morning of October 2, 2019 for an approximately four-hundred-mile passage to Queen Charlotte Sound.
- The crew consisted of three: Frank Delaney (51), Marcus Webb (22), and Sarah Clark (28); Sarah had about fourteen thousand offshore miles and joined six weeks before departure.
- A watermaker failed early in the voyage, leaving sixty gallons of tank water as the only fresh-water supply for the three people aboard.
- At 02:11 on October 3, 2019 a shackle on the starboard shroud failed during an estimated fifty-two-knot gust, the mast came down, punched the deck, and the EPIRB activated at 02:14 but transmitted no coordinates.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1236falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-captain-almost-logged-it-as-debris-and-moved-on--73079061
A single tritium watch bezel flashed for less than a second at 4:10 AM and became the only visible signal that brought two men home from the Okeechobee Passage; every other safety system failed that night. How did a dry-bag, a tide table, a rusted fitting, a faulty relay and one watch together reveal what all the official systems missed?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from a routine overnight departure to the moment a spark met trapped diesel vapor, and follow the chain of small mechanical and communication failures that left a rescue searching forty-three nautical miles away. Which single human choices and overlooked parts turned an ordinary passage into a near-fatal survival story?

Date: September 10, 2019
Person: Ross Chambers
Person: Kevin Albrecht
Vessel: Linnet
Location: Okeechobee Passage

- Ross Chambers had been in the water for 6 hours and 20 minutes before being spotted.
- The distress aircraft and coordination center searched centered 43 nautical miles away from where the Linnet rested.
- The fire moved from the port hull to the forward compartment in less than 4 minutes after the spark.
- The last GPS fix used in the MAYDAY was 9 minutes old, creating about 4.5 nautical miles of positional error.
- Station 42 Kilo buoy had been offline for 6 days prior to the storm that produced 54-knot winds and 8-foot seas.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079061Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe captain almost logged it as debris and moved on A single tritium watch bezel flashed for less than a second at 4:10 AM and became the only visible signal that brought two men home from the Okeechobee Passage; every other safety system failed...
A single tritium watch bezel flashed for less than a second at 4:10 AM and became the only visible signal that brought two men home from the Okeechobee Passage; every other safety system failed that night. How did a dry-bag, a tide table, a rusted fitting, a faulty relay and one watch together reveal what all the official systems missed?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from a routine overnight departure to the moment a spark met trapped diesel vapor, and follow the chain of small mechanical and communication failures that left a rescue searching forty-three nautical miles away. Which single human choices and overlooked parts turned an ordinary passage into a near-fatal survival story?

Date: September 10, 2019
Person: Ross Chambers
Person: Kevin Albrecht
Vessel: Linnet
Location: Okeechobee Passage

- Ross Chambers had been in the water for 6 hours and 20 minutes before being spotted.
- The distress aircraft and coordination center searched centered 43 nautical miles away from where the Linnet rested.
- The fire moved from the port hull to the forward compartment in less than 4 minutes after the spark.
- The last GPS fix used in the MAYDAY was 9 minutes old, creating about 4.5 nautical miles of positional error.
- Station 42 Kilo buoy had been offline for 6 days prior to the storm that produced 54-knot winds and 8-foot seas.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1070falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/drifted-south-the-notebook-that-kept-her-alive--73079060
A dry spiral notebook survived nine hours and six days in the Pacific, its pages uncurled and every entry intact - written by a 22-year-old who drifted south while rescue patterns ran north. How did a woman’s handwritten log survive open water and become the only record of whether she was still alive?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events from departure to the moment the life raft was launched, the entries Sarah made in the notebook, and the timeline that turned a routine delivery into a long drift at sea - could her notes alone solve where she was and what happened next?

Person: Sarah Mitchell
Date: August 4-14, 2019
Location: Pacific Ocean, drifted approximately 47 miles offshore
Event: Mast loss and transfer to life raft after dismasting on August 7
Person: Wade Williams (found the notebook at Pelican Flats)

- The notebook was found dry on the sand at Pelican Flats on the morning of August 14, 2019.
- The notebook had traveled approximately nine hours through open water to reach that beach.
- Sarah was 22 years old and had accepted a delivery job on August 4, 2019 to sail a 38-foot sloop called the Crestline.
- A low-pressure system dropped 11 millibars in six hours and pushed the Crestline 47 miles offshore by the afternoon of August 6.
- At 3:40 a.m. on August 7 the mast came down with a single percussion, and Sarah later sealed a forearm wound with duct tape from the grab bag.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079060Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaDrifted South: The Notebook That Kept Her Alive A dry spiral notebook survived nine hours and six days in the Pacific, its pages uncurled and every entry intact - written by a 22-year-old who drifted south while rescue patterns ran north. How did a...
A dry spiral notebook survived nine hours and six days in the Pacific, its pages uncurled and every entry intact - written by a 22-year-old who drifted south while rescue patterns ran north. How did a woman’s handwritten log survive open water and become the only record of whether she was still alive?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events from departure to the moment the life raft was launched, the entries Sarah made in the notebook, and the timeline that turned a routine delivery into a long drift at sea - could her notes alone solve where she was and what happened next?

Person: Sarah Mitchell
Date: August 4-14, 2019
Location: Pacific Ocean, drifted approximately 47 miles offshore
Event: Mast loss and transfer to life raft after dismasting on August 7
Person: Wade Williams (found the notebook at Pelican Flats)

- The notebook was found dry on the sand at Pelican Flats on the morning of August 14, 2019.
- The notebook had traveled approximately nine hours through open water to reach that beach.
- Sarah was 22 years old and had accepted a delivery job on August 4, 2019 to sail a 38-foot sloop called the Crestline.
- A low-pressure system dropped 11 millibars in six hours and pushed the Crestline 47 miles offshore by the afternoon of August 6.
- At 3:40 a.m. on August 7 the mast came down with a single percussion, and Sarah later sealed a forearm wound with duct tape from the grab bag.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1073falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/lost-at-sea-notebook-untouched-fifty-one-hours-off-oregon-s-edge--73079059
A perfectly dry green spiral-bound notebook that logged fifty-one hours adrift eighty miles off the Oregon coast sat untouched on a bluff two years after the voyage - its pages showing no salt, no warping, no damage. That single, concrete detail clashes with the rest of the account: an EPIRB found disarmed, a man lost at sea, and a mast that fell and injured a crewman - so how did that notebook survive while the boat and its crew were being undone?

In this episode, we follow the timeline recorded in that notebook and the sequence of events aboard the sloop Camas Wind: who was aboard, what failed, and the moments that determined whether rescue would arrive. What does the notebook reveal about where help was expected - and why search teams looked in the wrong ocean for two days?

Person: Gina Mueller
Person: Pete Harmon
Person: Kevin Atta
Date: July 9-11, 2019
Location: 80 miles southwest of the Columbia River bar

- The voyage departed Warrenton on the evening of July 9, 2019, with a seven-day offshore plan.
- The crew logged fifty-one hours adrift and the notebook documented hour-by-hour entries across that period.
- The EPIRB was found 11 days later, floating 32 miles north-northeast of Camas Wind’s last known position.
- Sea temperature during the search was 55°F and the search lasted four hours after Atta went overboard.
- The mast failed at 04:10 after repeated Williamson turns, fracturing Pete Harmon’s clavicle and causing a concussion.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079059Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaLost at Sea, Notebook Untouched: Fifty-One Hours Off Oregon's Edge A perfectly dry green spiral-bound notebook that logged fifty-one hours adrift eighty miles off the Oregon coast sat untouched on a bluff two years after the voyage - its pages...
A perfectly dry green spiral-bound notebook that logged fifty-one hours adrift eighty miles off the Oregon coast sat untouched on a bluff two years after the voyage - its pages showing no salt, no warping, no damage. That single, concrete detail clashes with the rest of the account: an EPIRB found disarmed, a man lost at sea, and a mast that fell and injured a crewman - so how did that notebook survive while the boat and its crew were being undone?

In this episode, we follow the timeline recorded in that notebook and the sequence of events aboard the sloop Camas Wind: who was aboard, what failed, and the moments that determined whether rescue would arrive. What does the notebook reveal about where help was expected - and why search teams looked in the wrong ocean for two days?

Person: Gina Mueller
Person: Pete Harmon
Person: Kevin Atta
Date: July 9-11, 2019
Location: 80 miles southwest of the Columbia River bar

- The voyage departed Warrenton on the evening of July 9, 2019, with a seven-day offshore plan.
- The crew logged fifty-one hours adrift and the notebook documented hour-by-hour entries across that period.
- The EPIRB was found 11 days later, floating 32 miles north-northeast of Camas Wind’s last known position.
- Sea temperature during the search was 55°F and the search lasted four hours after Atta went overboard.
- The mast failed at 04:10 after repeated Williamson turns, fracturing Pete Harmon’s clavicle and causing a concussion.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1103falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-raft-the-dry-glasses-and-eight-days-nobody-searched--73079057
Dry reading glasses lay closed and bone dry on a life raft whose canopy, tubes, and floor were soaking; the raft had drifted eight days through waters that nobody searched. What failed electronics and missed forecasts turned routine safety checks into a fatal silence, and who, if anyone, could still have been waiting when the raft finally washed ashore?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a missed Wednesday night call in Atlanta to the day a fisherman found a raft at Heron Flat shoal at 5:30 a.m. on June 19, revealing unanswered warnings, failed beacons, and the decisions that led a 62-year-old sailor into a night squall. How did a green EPIRB light blink while the antenna was severed, and what did the dry glasses on a soaked raft mean for the person who packed that ditch bag?

Person: Sherry Stein
Age: 62
Date found at shoal: June 19 (5:30 a.m.)
Vessel name: Wendell's Luck
Safety gear lost: satellite communicator and ditch bag sank

- Sherry had been hospital pharmacy administrator for 31 years and called her daughter Monica every Wednesday for 20-30 minutes.
- The planned voyage from Clearwater to Key West was estimated at four to five days and provisioned with eight days of food.
- Forecast before departure predicted 15-20 knots easterly wind and light swell; a fast-moving squall arrived instead.
- Sherry activated an EPIRB whose confirmation light blinked green despite an internal antenna failure affecting that manufacturing batch.
- The life raft drifted for eight days through waters where roughly 200 vessels passed without sighting it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079057Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:42:23 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Raft, the Dry Glasses, and Eight Days Nobody Searched Dry reading glasses lay closed and bone dry on a life raft whose canopy, tubes, and floor were soaking; the raft had drifted eight days through waters that nobody searched. What failed...
Dry reading glasses lay closed and bone dry on a life raft whose canopy, tubes, and floor were soaking; the raft had drifted eight days through waters that nobody searched. What failed electronics and missed forecasts turned routine safety checks into a fatal silence, and who, if anyone, could still have been waiting when the raft finally washed ashore?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a missed Wednesday night call in Atlanta to the day a fisherman found a raft at Heron Flat shoal at 5:30 a.m. on June 19, revealing unanswered warnings, failed beacons, and the decisions that led a 62-year-old sailor into a night squall. How did a green EPIRB light blink while the antenna was severed, and what did the dry glasses on a soaked raft mean for the person who packed that ditch bag?

Person: Sherry Stein
Age: 62
Date found at shoal: June 19 (5:30 a.m.)
Vessel name: Wendell's Luck
Safety gear lost: satellite communicator and ditch bag sank

- Sherry had been hospital pharmacy administrator for 31 years and called her daughter Monica every Wednesday for 20-30 minutes.
- The planned voyage from Clearwater to Key West was estimated at four to five days and provisioned with eight days of food.
- Forecast before departure predicted 15-20 knots easterly wind and light swell; a fast-moving squall arrived instead.
- Sherry activated an EPIRB whose confirmation light blinked green despite an internal antenna failure affecting that manufacturing batch.
- The life raft drifted for eight days through waters where roughly 200 vessels passed without sighting it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1156falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-pink-sneaker-that-saved-three-lives-at-sea--73079055
Fear and small decisions can mean the difference between rescue and oblivion: a pink Velcro sneaker half-buried in silt contained a four-word note that redirected a search and ultimately connected three survivors floating 53 nautical miles from the ferry's sinking. How did a child's shoe and a folded card change a search that had been wrong for 36 hours?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from discovery to rescue, tracing the Marguerite Lee's sinking, the people on the debris cluster, and the search that missed them-asking how a single card found at Pelican Reach altered a five-day story at sea.

Person: Tammy Norris
Person: Brianna Sato
Person: Captain Frank Herrera
Event: Ferry sinking of the Marguerite Lee
Location: Pelican Reach

- The note inside the pink sneaker read: "Day four. Tammy Norris. One child alive. Current NNO. Pray someone finds this."
- The ferry pushed from Port Stillwell at 8:15 AM and went missing by 9:18 AM when winds reached 61 miles per hour.
- Forty-six people entered the water; twenty-two survived and twenty-four did not.
- The survivors were floating about fifty-three nautical miles from where the ferry had gone down when the sneaker was found.
- The search team searched the wrong area for thirty-six hours before the card in the sneaker redirected efforts.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079055Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:42:20 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Pink Sneaker That Saved Three Lives at Sea Fear and small decisions can mean the difference between rescue and oblivion: a pink Velcro sneaker half-buried in silt contained a four-word note that redirected a search and ultimately connected...
Fear and small decisions can mean the difference between rescue and oblivion: a pink Velcro sneaker half-buried in silt contained a four-word note that redirected a search and ultimately connected three survivors floating 53 nautical miles from the ferry's sinking. How did a child's shoe and a folded card change a search that had been wrong for 36 hours?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from discovery to rescue, tracing the Marguerite Lee's sinking, the people on the debris cluster, and the search that missed them-asking how a single card found at Pelican Reach altered a five-day story at sea.

Person: Tammy Norris
Person: Brianna Sato
Person: Captain Frank Herrera
Event: Ferry sinking of the Marguerite Lee
Location: Pelican Reach

- The note inside the pink sneaker read: "Day four. Tammy Norris. One child alive. Current NNO. Pray someone finds this."
- The ferry pushed from Port Stillwell at 8:15 AM and went missing by 9:18 AM when winds reached 61 miles per hour.
- Forty-six people entered the water; twenty-two survived and twenty-four did not.
- The survivors were floating about fifty-three nautical miles from where the ferry had gone down when the sneaker was found.
- The search team searched the wrong area for thirty-six hours before the card in the sneaker redirected efforts.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1026falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-logbook-on-the-railing-the-rescue-of-connie-padgett--73079054
A single water-resistant notebook spine-down on a rental railing started a rescue that nearly never happened - the log showed a name, a Beaufort County address, and a string of entries that kept one woman traceable when every electronic beacon failed. How did a thirty-two-foot sloop, a dismasted mast, and pencil entries become the only link between Connie Padgett and the people who could find her?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events recorded in that logbook and the timeline from Connie’s April 4 departure to the discovery on April 19, tracing the crucial decisions, misdirections, and the one habit that kept her connected: writing down position, time, and condition. How did a thirty-eight-mile course deviation and a night dismasting turn a routine passage into a near-miss rescue?

Person: Connie Padgett
Date (departure): April 4
Discovery date: April 19 at 8:47 AM
Vessel: Meridian Cross, 32-foot sloop
Distance off-route: 38 miles east-northeast

- The logbook was found spine-down between two deck balusters on a rental railing forty yards from the nearest waterway.
- Connie was 48 years old and had lived aboard the Meridian Cross for eleven years as her permanent address.
- The Meridian Cross was reported overdue to the Coast Guard ten days before the logbook was found.
- On the night of April 8 the mast fell to starboard, taking down the standing rigging, mainsail, and radio antenna.
- Connie noted eleven gallons of fresh water, four flares, a handheld compass, a signal mirror, and a "suspect" VHF battery in her log.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079054Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:42:17 +0000Creator at ObomediaA Logbook on the Railing: The Rescue of Connie Padgett A single water-resistant notebook spine-down on a rental railing started a rescue that nearly never happened - the log showed a name, a Beaufort County address, and a string of entries that...
A single water-resistant notebook spine-down on a rental railing started a rescue that nearly never happened - the log showed a name, a Beaufort County address, and a string of entries that kept one woman traceable when every electronic beacon failed. How did a thirty-two-foot sloop, a dismasted mast, and pencil entries become the only link between Connie Padgett and the people who could find her?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events recorded in that logbook and the timeline from Connie’s April 4 departure to the discovery on April 19, tracing the crucial decisions, misdirections, and the one habit that kept her connected: writing down position, time, and condition. How did a thirty-eight-mile course deviation and a night dismasting turn a routine passage into a near-miss rescue?

Person: Connie Padgett
Date (departure): April 4
Discovery date: April 19 at 8:47 AM
Vessel: Meridian Cross, 32-foot sloop
Distance off-route: 38 miles east-northeast

- The logbook was found spine-down between two deck balusters on a rental railing forty yards from the nearest waterway.
- Connie was 48 years old and had lived aboard the Meridian Cross for eleven years as her permanent address.
- The Meridian Cross was reported overdue to the Coast Guard ten days before the logbook was found.
- On the night of April 8 the mast fell to starboard, taking down the standing rigging, mainsail, and radio antenna.
- Connie noted eleven gallons of fresh water, four flares, a handheld compass, a signal mirror, and a "suspect" VHF battery in her log.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1183falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/laminated-card-day-eleven-the-thermos-that-found-her--73079053
A single thermos washed ashore with a laminated card reading "Janet. Day eleven. Forty-seven point two north." - a name, a day count, and a coordinate that arrived four days after the last radio contact from a fishing vessel lost two hundred miles off the Oregon coast. What did that thermos mean, and how did one small, deliberate object become the only message from a raft adrift in an ocean that had already swallowed a boat and a captain?

In this episode, we tell the story contained in that thermos and in the days at sea that followed: who Janet Carlson was, what happened aboard the Adeline Clare, and how a rescue search missed a drifting raft by following the wrong current - leaving one central question hanging: how far can a person hold things together when everything else dissolves?

Person: Janet Carlson
Vessel: Adeline Clare
Date: March 1-11, 2009
Location: Forty-seven degrees north (reported), 220 miles offshore to Floras grounds
Status: Three-person raft; one survivor found via thermos on March 11

- The Adeline Clare was a 44-foot crabber and tuna vessel built in 1987 out of Warrenton, Oregon with four people aboard.
- Captain Lou Briggs, age 51, went missing the night the hatch failed and did not come back from the water.
- The port-side hatch was flagged as soft before departure and began failing by the morning of March 2; it completely failed the night of March 7.
- Three people launched on a roughly six-foot raft with a partial canopy, emergency rations, and a small flare kit; Owen Marsh disappeared the second night.
- A thermos with a steel body, blue lid, and orange electrical tape around the neck was found by a birdwatcher at Crescent Flat at 7:43 a.m. on March 11, containing a laminated card labeled "Janet. Day eleven. Forty-seven point two north."

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079053Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:42:14 +0000Creator at ObomediaLaminated Card, Day Eleven: The Thermos That Found Her A single thermos washed ashore with a laminated card reading "Janet. Day eleven. Forty-seven point two north." - a name, a day count, and a coordinate that arrived four days after the last...
A single thermos washed ashore with a laminated card reading "Janet. Day eleven. Forty-seven point two north." - a name, a day count, and a coordinate that arrived four days after the last radio contact from a fishing vessel lost two hundred miles off the Oregon coast. What did that thermos mean, and how did one small, deliberate object become the only message from a raft adrift in an ocean that had already swallowed a boat and a captain?

In this episode, we tell the story contained in that thermos and in the days at sea that followed: who Janet Carlson was, what happened aboard the Adeline Clare, and how a rescue search missed a drifting raft by following the wrong current - leaving one central question hanging: how far can a person hold things together when everything else dissolves?

Person: Janet Carlson
Vessel: Adeline Clare
Date: March 1-11, 2009
Location: Forty-seven degrees north (reported), 220 miles offshore to Floras grounds
Status: Three-person raft; one survivor found via thermos on March 11

- The Adeline Clare was a 44-foot crabber and tuna vessel built in 1987 out of Warrenton, Oregon with four people aboard.
- Captain Lou Briggs, age 51, went missing the night the hatch failed and did not come back from the water.
- The port-side hatch was flagged as soft before departure and began failing by the morning of March 2; it completely failed the night of March 7.
- Three people launched on a roughly six-foot raft with a partial canopy, emergency rations, and a small flare kit; Owen Marsh disappeared the second night.
- A thermos with a steel body, blue lid, and orange electrical tape around the neck was found by a birdwatcher at Crescent Flat at 7:43 a.m. on March 11, containing a laminated card labeled "Janet. Day eleven. Forty-seven point two north."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1298falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-watch-that-kept-time-while-he-drifted-for-four-days--73079052
Cold, alone and severely injured, a man drifted in 58°F Gulf waters while a thirty-five-dollar wristwatch kept ticking through salt, shock and four days of exposure - then washed ashore to a fourteen-year-old on a paper route. How did a non-water-resistant watch survive ninety-six hours in the Gulf, and what did its strange condition reveal about the sequence of failures that made his discovery possible?

In this episode, you’ll hear the reconstructed timeline from the morning Steven Hicks left port to the moment his watch turned up in wet sand, and the small decisions and accidents that had to align for anyone to find him. What chain of tiny errors and precise chances allowed a man to survive alone on an upturned hull long enough for a watch to tell his story?

Person: Steven Hicks
Age: 52
Date: February 14, 2014 (cast off) / February 19, 2014 (watch found at 6:15 AM)
Location: Gulf of Mexico / Pelican Flat (watch found)
Vessel: Meridian, 1982 fiberglass sloop, 28 feet

- The watch found by fourteen-year-old Carol Gallagher was a $35 Seiko 5, face down in wet sand and still ticking.
- Carol found the watch at 6:15 AM on February 19, 2014 while on her newspaper route along Pelican Flat.
- Steven cast off Punta Gorda marina at 6:30 AM on February 14, 2014 intending a single-handed delivery south-southwest.
- At 3:20 PM the same day the forestay parted, the boom struck Steven fracturing his clavicle and throwing him into the water.
- Steven scratched two marks into the watch caseback on the third day at roughly 8:00 AM to indicate he had been adrift for two days before dropping it overboard.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079052Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:42:10 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Watch That Kept Time While He Drifted for Four Days Cold, alone and severely injured, a man drifted in 58°F Gulf waters while a thirty-five-dollar wristwatch kept ticking through salt, shock and four days of exposure - then washed ashore to a...
Cold, alone and severely injured, a man drifted in 58°F Gulf waters while a thirty-five-dollar wristwatch kept ticking through salt, shock and four days of exposure - then washed ashore to a fourteen-year-old on a paper route. How did a non-water-resistant watch survive ninety-six hours in the Gulf, and what did its strange condition reveal about the sequence of failures that made his discovery possible?

In this episode, you’ll hear the reconstructed timeline from the morning Steven Hicks left port to the moment his watch turned up in wet sand, and the small decisions and accidents that had to align for anyone to find him. What chain of tiny errors and precise chances allowed a man to survive alone on an upturned hull long enough for a watch to tell his story?

Person: Steven Hicks
Age: 52
Date: February 14, 2014 (cast off) / February 19, 2014 (watch found at 6:15 AM)
Location: Gulf of Mexico / Pelican Flat (watch found)
Vessel: Meridian, 1982 fiberglass sloop, 28 feet

- The watch found by fourteen-year-old Carol Gallagher was a $35 Seiko 5, face down in wet sand and still ticking.
- Carol found the watch at 6:15 AM on February 19, 2014 while on her newspaper route along Pelican Flat.
- Steven cast off Punta Gorda marina at 6:30 AM on February 14, 2014 intending a single-handed delivery south-southwest.
- At 3:20 PM the same day the forestay parted, the boom struck Steven fracturing his clavicle and throwing him into the water.
- Steven scratched two marks into the watch caseback on the third day at roughly 8:00 AM to indicate he had been adrift for two days before dropping it overboard.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1261falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/compass-in-a-ditch-the-lonely-coordinates-that-found-vicki--73079050
A lone marine compass, bone-dry in a frozen roadside ditch twenty-three miles from the Pacific, carried a laminated card with a single name: Vicki - 44, a journeyman electrician and seasoned solo sailor whose forty-one-foot ketch Perseverance vanished after its mast fell at 02:41 on January 10. How did a navigator’s instrument with precise coordinates end up on State Route Seven, and what do those numbers reveal about Vicki’s final days?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Jason Vaughn found the compass to the choices Vicki made after the mast failed, laying out the facts about her route, the ship sale, the EPIRB activation and the gaps in the search - and ask whether the route she chose inside the shipping lanes helped or hindered her chances.

Person: Vicki Turner
Age: 44
Vessel: Perseverance, 41-foot ketch, Allied Seawind built 1991
Event: Mast failure at 02:41 on January 10; EPIRB activated at 02:47
Location found: Compass in drainage ditch on State Route Seven, Grays Harbor County, 23 miles from Pacific

- The compass was discovered at 04:30 on January 19 by grader operator Jason Vaughn in a ditch filled with ice water.
- The laminated card beneath the compass contained coordinates and the name “Vicki” written in block letters.
- Vicki agreed in November to sell Perseverance to Tom Abernathy, who wanted the boat in Morro Bay by February 1.
- Vicki’s last logged VHF contact was on January 8, approximately 12 nautical miles offshore.
- Vicki recorded in a waterproof journal that “The mast came down at 02:41. No warning.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079050Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:42:07 +0000Creator at ObomediaCompass in a Ditch: The Lonely Coordinates That Found Vicki A lone marine compass, bone-dry in a frozen roadside ditch twenty-three miles from the Pacific, carried a laminated card with a single name: Vicki - 44, a journeyman electrician and...
A lone marine compass, bone-dry in a frozen roadside ditch twenty-three miles from the Pacific, carried a laminated card with a single name: Vicki - 44, a journeyman electrician and seasoned solo sailor whose forty-one-foot ketch Perseverance vanished after its mast fell at 02:41 on January 10. How did a navigator’s instrument with precise coordinates end up on State Route Seven, and what do those numbers reveal about Vicki’s final days?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Jason Vaughn found the compass to the choices Vicki made after the mast failed, laying out the facts about her route, the ship sale, the EPIRB activation and the gaps in the search - and ask whether the route she chose inside the shipping lanes helped or hindered her chances.

Person: Vicki Turner
Age: 44
Vessel: Perseverance, 41-foot ketch, Allied Seawind built 1991
Event: Mast failure at 02:41 on January 10; EPIRB activated at 02:47
Location found: Compass in drainage ditch on State Route Seven, Grays Harbor County, 23 miles from Pacific

- The compass was discovered at 04:30 on January 19 by grader operator Jason Vaughn in a ditch filled with ice water.
- The laminated card beneath the compass contained coordinates and the name “Vicki” written in block letters.
- Vicki agreed in November to sell Perseverance to Tom Abernathy, who wanted the boat in Morro Bay by February 1.
- Vicki’s last logged VHF contact was on January 8, approximately 12 nautical miles offshore.
- Vicki recorded in a waterproof journal that “The mast came down at 02:41. No warning.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1229falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/lost-at-the-uncharted-confluence-the-cassidy-jean-s-eleven-days-adrift--73079049
A dry bag washed ashore five years after a rescue, containing a 47-page spiral notebook written in black ink by a 27-year-old captain who spent eleven days adrift - not a drop of moisture on the paper. The entries describe an empty jerry can, an engine that stopped at 10:00, and a tidal convergence that pushed the boat three miles off course; how did three experienced crew end up unaccounted for, and why did a closed search file get reopened?

In this episode, we follow the notebook’s timeline and the operational facts recorded by the captain to outline what happened between departure and the moment the engine died, and to pose the question that forced search-and-rescue back into a case they had closed.

Person: Patricia Vogel
Person: Roy Sutton
Person: Chris Felder
Vessel: Cassidy Jean, 42-foot aluminum workboat
Duration adrift: eleven days

- Departure time from Hadlow: 07:15 on December 3
- Fuel taken previous evening: 91 gallons; additional purchase at 06:50: 12 gallons; jerry can filled previous night: 40 gallons
- Engine stopped: approximately 10:00; captain’s note: “We are not where we said we'd be.”
- Tidal convergence drift: approximately 1.4 knots lateral push, moving vessel roughly two miles south over ninety minutes (total drift ~3 miles south of intended route)
- Notebook recovered: 47 pages, blue cover, black ink, found on concrete pad at Kessler Spit five years after rescue

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079049Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:42:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaLost at the Uncharted Confluence: The Cassidy Jean's Eleven Days Adrift A dry bag washed ashore five years after a rescue, containing a 47-page spiral notebook written in black ink by a 27-year-old captain who spent eleven days adrift - not a drop...
A dry bag washed ashore five years after a rescue, containing a 47-page spiral notebook written in black ink by a 27-year-old captain who spent eleven days adrift - not a drop of moisture on the paper. The entries describe an empty jerry can, an engine that stopped at 10:00, and a tidal convergence that pushed the boat three miles off course; how did three experienced crew end up unaccounted for, and why did a closed search file get reopened?

In this episode, we follow the notebook’s timeline and the operational facts recorded by the captain to outline what happened between departure and the moment the engine died, and to pose the question that forced search-and-rescue back into a case they had closed.

Person: Patricia Vogel
Person: Roy Sutton
Person: Chris Felder
Vessel: Cassidy Jean, 42-foot aluminum workboat
Duration adrift: eleven days

- Departure time from Hadlow: 07:15 on December 3
- Fuel taken previous evening: 91 gallons; additional purchase at 06:50: 12 gallons; jerry can filled previous night: 40 gallons
- Engine stopped: approximately 10:00; captain’s note: “We are not where we said we'd be.”
- Tidal convergence drift: approximately 1.4 knots lateral push, moving vessel roughly two miles south over ninety minutes (total drift ~3 miles south of intended route)
- Notebook recovered: 47 pages, blue cover, black ink, found on concrete pad at Kessler Spit five years after rescue

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1150falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-logbook-washes-ashore-bone-dry-the-survival-of-james-lewis--73079048
A dry ship's logbook washed up above the wrack line with no salt crust, spine up in the sand-while its owner, James Lewis, was alive in an inflatable raft twenty-six miles offshore, hypothermic and running low on supplies. How did a book from a sunken vessel end up bone dry on a beach at the same time the Coast Guard was searching the wrong area?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Lewis's departure to the moment his logbook was found, tracing his preparations, the unexpected structural failure, and the mismatched search that left him adrift; could small decisions and a single corrosion note explain why rescue efforts missed him?

Person: James Lewis
Date: November 10-14, 2017
Location: 26 miles offshore; logbook found at Harker Inlet
Vessel: Carabiner, 42-foot sloop from Astoria, Oregon
Supplies in raft: GPS, 2017 logbook, 2 liters of water, 4 protein bars

- Lewis took on 18 gallons of diesel on November 7, not the vessel's full 30-gallon capacity.
- He cast off at 06:12 on November 8, 12 minutes later than his float plan's 06:00.
- The starboard cap shroud fitting failed around 19:00 on November 9, causing the mast to fall and puncture the hull.
- Carabiner sank at approximately 01:00 on November 10, about 26 miles offshore.
- Kimberly Donnelly found the dry logbook on the morning of November 14 above the wrack line at Harker Inlet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079048Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:42:00 +0000Creator at ObomediaA Logbook Washes Ashore Bone Dry: The Survival of James Lewis A dry ship's logbook washed up above the wrack line with no salt crust, spine up in the sand-while its owner, James Lewis, was alive in an inflatable raft twenty-six miles offshore,...
A dry ship's logbook washed up above the wrack line with no salt crust, spine up in the sand-while its owner, James Lewis, was alive in an inflatable raft twenty-six miles offshore, hypothermic and running low on supplies. How did a book from a sunken vessel end up bone dry on a beach at the same time the Coast Guard was searching the wrong area?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Lewis's departure to the moment his logbook was found, tracing his preparations, the unexpected structural failure, and the mismatched search that left him adrift; could small decisions and a single corrosion note explain why rescue efforts missed him?

Person: James Lewis
Date: November 10-14, 2017
Location: 26 miles offshore; logbook found at Harker Inlet
Vessel: Carabiner, 42-foot sloop from Astoria, Oregon
Supplies in raft: GPS, 2017 logbook, 2 liters of water, 4 protein bars

- Lewis took on 18 gallons of diesel on November 7, not the vessel's full 30-gallon capacity.
- He cast off at 06:12 on November 8, 12 minutes later than his float plan's 06:00.
- The starboard cap shroud fitting failed around 19:00 on November 9, causing the mast to fall and puncture the hull.
- Carabiner sank at approximately 01:00 on November 10, about 26 miles offshore.
- Kimberly Donnelly found the dry logbook on the morning of November 14 above the wrack line at Harker Inlet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1204falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-talked-to-sharks-how-a-lost-sailor-wired-her-survival--73079047
The sea can strip everything from you in minutes - and leave behind one tiny device that knows the full story: a digital voice recorder found upright on a dock, still blinking after ten days, that had been recording Laura McCarthy’s ordeal. A twenty-two-year-old marine biology student righted her capsized seventeen-foot sloop alone in 44-knot conditions, lost her radio and personal locator beacon, and survived by rationing a half-full water bottle and making notes into that recorder - how did she keep going, and what did the device capture?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Laura’s solo departure to the discovery of her recorder and the search that began when her father noticed a missed weekly call. We cover the condition of the boat, the changing forecast that nobody aboard saw, and the gaps between predicted and actual drift that shaped the early search - what the recorder reveals about those first days at sea.

Person: Laura McCarthy
Age: 22
Boat: Fenwick Girl, 17-foot centerboard sloop
Last seen leaving: October 9 at 7:40 AM
Recorder found: October 26 at Fenwick Landing, battery still blinking

- Laura called her father every Tuesday at 11:15 PM without fail; she missed the call the week she disappeared.
- The boat’s tabernacle fitting was cracked and had an unpaid repair estimate on file four days before departure.
- Winds updated from 12-15 knots to sustained 31 knots with gusts to 44 knots after the boat had already passed the breakwater.
- Laura righted the capsized hull in approximately two hours during 44-knot conditions in the dark.
- On board she retained an orange inflatable life vest, a folding knife, a half-full water bottle, a waterproof lighter, and an Olympus digital voice recorder tucked in her fleece.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079047Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:57 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Talked to Sharks: How a Lost Sailor Wired Her Survival The sea can strip everything from you in minutes - and leave behind one tiny device that knows the full story: a digital voice recorder found upright on a dock, still blinking after ten...
The sea can strip everything from you in minutes - and leave behind one tiny device that knows the full story: a digital voice recorder found upright on a dock, still blinking after ten days, that had been recording Laura McCarthy’s ordeal. A twenty-two-year-old marine biology student righted her capsized seventeen-foot sloop alone in 44-knot conditions, lost her radio and personal locator beacon, and survived by rationing a half-full water bottle and making notes into that recorder - how did she keep going, and what did the device capture?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Laura’s solo departure to the discovery of her recorder and the search that began when her father noticed a missed weekly call. We cover the condition of the boat, the changing forecast that nobody aboard saw, and the gaps between predicted and actual drift that shaped the early search - what the recorder reveals about those first days at sea.

Person: Laura McCarthy
Age: 22
Boat: Fenwick Girl, 17-foot centerboard sloop
Last seen leaving: October 9 at 7:40 AM
Recorder found: October 26 at Fenwick Landing, battery still blinking

- Laura called her father every Tuesday at 11:15 PM without fail; she missed the call the week she disappeared.
- The boat’s tabernacle fitting was cracked and had an unpaid repair estimate on file four days before departure.
- Winds updated from 12-15 knots to sustained 31 knots with gusts to 44 knots after the boat had already passed the breakwater.
- Laura righted the capsized hull in approximately two hours during 44-knot conditions in the dark.
- On board she retained an orange inflatable life vest, a folding knife, a half-full water bottle, a waterproof lighter, and an Olympus digital voice recorder tucked in her fleece.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>936falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/swimmer-in-the-dark-the-lodestar-survival-case--73079044
A waterproof notebook survived a Pacific Northwest shipwreck sealed inside a dry suit, its ink still readable after eight days - a claim that should be impossible given paper soaks and ink dissolves in seconds. The notebook records the final frantic minutes after Lodestar's forestay failed and a mast struck a crewmember; how did one writer vanish while another made it ashore with a sealed dry suit and a dry chest pocket?

In this episode, we follow the timeline reconstructed from the notebook and survivor accounts, from departure to the moment the mast came down, and we lay out the unresolved question that haunts the case: who wrote the second hand entry, and what happened to the missing writer?

Person: Kent Stein
Person: Rob Fielding
Person: Chris Mauer
Date: September 14-15, 2011
Location: Camas Inlet, Pacific Northwest

- Lodestar was a 1987 Hunter 34 sloop, thirty-four feet of fiberglass.
- Kent Stein was 38 years old and had owned the dry suit for three years.
- Rob Fielding was 41 and wore a 3-mm shorty wetsuit, giving roughly 30 minutes of useful motor function in 50-54°F water.
- Kent wrote a final notebook entry at 1:14 a.m, on September 15 noting "Mast down. Rob in water port side. Chris handling line. I have the suit. Water coming in amidships. Heading for the inlet shore if I can. Maybe three miles."
- The dry suit with a sealed zipper and a dry chest pocket was found hanging in salt cedar branches on the eastern shore of Camas Inlet, and one of the notebook's two handwritings belonged to a person who was never found.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079044Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:54 +0000Creator at ObomediaSwimmer in the Dark: The Lodestar Survival Case A waterproof notebook survived a Pacific Northwest shipwreck sealed inside a dry suit, its ink still readable after eight days - a claim that should be impossible given paper soaks and ink dissolves...
A waterproof notebook survived a Pacific Northwest shipwreck sealed inside a dry suit, its ink still readable after eight days - a claim that should be impossible given paper soaks and ink dissolves in seconds. The notebook records the final frantic minutes after Lodestar's forestay failed and a mast struck a crewmember; how did one writer vanish while another made it ashore with a sealed dry suit and a dry chest pocket?

In this episode, we follow the timeline reconstructed from the notebook and survivor accounts, from departure to the moment the mast came down, and we lay out the unresolved question that haunts the case: who wrote the second hand entry, and what happened to the missing writer?

Person: Kent Stein
Person: Rob Fielding
Person: Chris Mauer
Date: September 14-15, 2011
Location: Camas Inlet, Pacific Northwest

- Lodestar was a 1987 Hunter 34 sloop, thirty-four feet of fiberglass.
- Kent Stein was 38 years old and had owned the dry suit for three years.
- Rob Fielding was 41 and wore a 3-mm shorty wetsuit, giving roughly 30 minutes of useful motor function in 50-54°F water.
- Kent wrote a final notebook entry at 1:14 a.m, on September 15 noting "Mast down. Rob in water port side. Chris handling line. I have the suit. Water coming in amidships. Heading for the inlet shore if I can. Maybe three miles."
- The dry suit with a sealed zipper and a dry chest pocket was found hanging in salt cedar branches on the eastern shore of Camas Inlet, and one of the notebook's two handwritings belonged to a person who was never found.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1165falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-child-s-shoe-nailed-to-a-buoy-the-soledad-survival--73079043
A single child-sized white canvas shoe, size six, nailed flush to a federal navigation buoy off Brunswick, Georgia stopped a walker and his dog in their tracks - and later led to the discovery that a year earlier a seven-year-old named Leanne and her father had survived forty-four hours adrift after their wooden ketch sank in twelve-foot seas. How did one small shoe travel from a boat disaster in the Gulf of Mexico to a buoy in a Georgia tidal channel, and whose name written inside those shoes pointed back to the lost vessel?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a morning on the Harrow Bluff Coastal Path to the sinking of the ketch Soledad, tracing the movements, log entries, and small, telling details that linked a shoe to a shipwreck and a missing child. What do the pre-departure checks, the logbook entries, and one notation in permanent marker reveal about what happened?

Person: Paul Collins
Event: Shoe photographed on navigation buoy
Date: August 9, 2019
Person: Chad Rogers
Person: Leanne Rogers

- The shoe found nailed to the buoy was a white canvas child-sized size six with no lace and a curled tongue.
- Chad Rogers wrote in his log on August 9, 2018: wind southerly at eight knots, sky clear, final word "Happy."
- Soledad left Pensacola on August 4, 2018 at 6:40 AM with a plan to return by August 23.
- On August 13, Soledad ran northeast in sustained winds of 41 knots and seas of 12 feet; Chad recorded concern about the backstay.
- Around 4:00 AM on August 14 the backstay let go, the mast punched through the cabin top, and Chad and Leanne entered the water with an EPIRB activated and a 14-foot aluminum mast section keeping them afloat.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079043Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:50 +0000Creator at ObomediaA Child's Shoe Nailed to a Buoy: The Soledad Survival A single child-sized white canvas shoe, size six, nailed flush to a federal navigation buoy off Brunswick, Georgia stopped a walker and his dog in their tracks - and later led to the discovery...
A single child-sized white canvas shoe, size six, nailed flush to a federal navigation buoy off Brunswick, Georgia stopped a walker and his dog in their tracks - and later led to the discovery that a year earlier a seven-year-old named Leanne and her father had survived forty-four hours adrift after their wooden ketch sank in twelve-foot seas. How did one small shoe travel from a boat disaster in the Gulf of Mexico to a buoy in a Georgia tidal channel, and whose name written inside those shoes pointed back to the lost vessel?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a morning on the Harrow Bluff Coastal Path to the sinking of the ketch Soledad, tracing the movements, log entries, and small, telling details that linked a shoe to a shipwreck and a missing child. What do the pre-departure checks, the logbook entries, and one notation in permanent marker reveal about what happened?

Person: Paul Collins
Event: Shoe photographed on navigation buoy
Date: August 9, 2019
Person: Chad Rogers
Person: Leanne Rogers

- The shoe found nailed to the buoy was a white canvas child-sized size six with no lace and a curled tongue.
- Chad Rogers wrote in his log on August 9, 2018: wind southerly at eight knots, sky clear, final word "Happy."
- Soledad left Pensacola on August 4, 2018 at 6:40 AM with a plan to return by August 23.
- On August 13, Soledad ran northeast in sustained winds of 41 knots and seas of 12 feet; Chad recorded concern about the backstay.
- Around 4:00 AM on August 14 the backstay let go, the mast punched through the cabin top, and Chad and Leanne entered the water with an EPIRB activated and a 14-foot aluminum mast section keeping them afloat.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1255falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ghost-beacon-how-a-phantom-epirb-left-a-sloop-invisible-at-sea--73079042
The sight of an orange cylinder pulsing a distress signal for seventy-one hours - registered to a boat that never left its marina - made a real vessel and two real people vanish from every rescue map. A forty-foot sloop with a lost mast, one functioning crew member, and water measured in sips drifted unsearched while authorities chased a phantom beacon; how did that device lead searchers astray at the worst possible moment?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Mira Jean’s eight-day ordeal after a fifty-two-knot squall, from the moment the EPIRB disappeared to the crew’s fight for survival, and ask how a misplaced signal became the gulf between being rescued and being lost.

Person: Sarah Hensley
Person: Cal Teague
Person: Doug Prater
Date: July 11-19 (incident timeline)
Event: EPIRB transmitted for 71 hours

- The Mira Jean departed Biloxi on July 11 at 11:00 a.m. with four gallons of drinking water and two cases of canned food.
- On the predawn of July 14 a squall produced a sustained gust of 52 knots and the mast fell over the port side.
- The EPIRB was missing from its bracket after the mast fell, while the retention strap showed no tearing or stress marks.
- Cal Teague’s left-hand cut became inflamed by July 16 and reached his wrist with a fever by July 17, rendering him unable to work on deck.
- An orange cylinder broadcasting a distress signal for 71 hours was later pulled from Calhoun Creek, registered to the vessel Callie Dane which had remained undamaged in Pensacola.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079042Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:47 +0000Creator at ObomediaGhost Beacon: How a Phantom EPIRB Left a Sloop Invisible at Sea The sight of an orange cylinder pulsing a distress signal for seventy-one hours - registered to a boat that never left its marina - made a real vessel and two real people vanish from...
The sight of an orange cylinder pulsing a distress signal for seventy-one hours - registered to a boat that never left its marina - made a real vessel and two real people vanish from every rescue map. A forty-foot sloop with a lost mast, one functioning crew member, and water measured in sips drifted unsearched while authorities chased a phantom beacon; how did that device lead searchers astray at the worst possible moment?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Mira Jean’s eight-day ordeal after a fifty-two-knot squall, from the moment the EPIRB disappeared to the crew’s fight for survival, and ask how a misplaced signal became the gulf between being rescued and being lost.

Person: Sarah Hensley
Person: Cal Teague
Person: Doug Prater
Date: July 11-19 (incident timeline)
Event: EPIRB transmitted for 71 hours

- The Mira Jean departed Biloxi on July 11 at 11:00 a.m. with four gallons of drinking water and two cases of canned food.
- On the predawn of July 14 a squall produced a sustained gust of 52 knots and the mast fell over the port side.
- The EPIRB was missing from its bracket after the mast fell, while the retention strap showed no tearing or stress marks.
- Cal Teague’s left-hand cut became inflamed by July 16 and reached his wrist with a fever by July 17, rendering him unable to work on deck.
- An orange cylinder broadcasting a distress signal for 71 hours was later pulled from Calhoun Creek, registered to the vessel Callie Dane which had remained undamaged in Pensacola.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1272falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-card-open-eyes-how-a-meticulous-sailor-survived-six-days-adrift--73079041
The first thing a land surveyor noticed on a gravel beach was a laminated card, completely dry despite salt fog and a man who had been in the water for sixty hours; his eyes were open, his arms folded, and a shoe was missing from his right foot. How did a meticulous sailor file float plans, broadcast a position, and still end up washed ashore with a dry card tucked under his arm - and what kept him alive long enough to be found?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from departure to discovery: the filed float plan, missed check-ins, a search that ran on faulty current data, and the small items Bruce carried that mattered. Could a malfunctioning buoy, an 18-nautical-mile drift error, and a four-by-three-foot hatch cover explain why rescue teams passed within seven nautical miles without seeing him?

Person: Bruce Hicks
Date: June 8-12, 2019
Location: Oregon coast; Garibaldi Marina to near Tillamook Bay
Event: Six-day survival and beach discovery
Item: handheld VHF radio in dry bag

- Bruce Hicks was 48 years old and had been sailing since age 11.
- Bruce departed Garibaldi Marina on Saturday, June 8, 2019, with a four-day float plan returning June 11.
- A NOAA buoy (Station 46089) began reporting anomalous current data on June 10, which was not relayed to Astoria.
- The incorrect current input caused the SAR model to miss Bruce by about 18 nautical miles over three days.
- A Coast Guard lifeboat passed approximately seven nautical miles from Bruce on the first search day; Bruce’s hatch cover measured 4 ft by 3 ft and lacked reflective markings.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079041Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:43 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Card, Open Eyes: How a Meticulous Sailor Survived Six Days Adrift The first thing a land surveyor noticed on a gravel beach was a laminated card, completely dry despite salt fog and a man who had been in the water for sixty hours; his eyes were...
The first thing a land surveyor noticed on a gravel beach was a laminated card, completely dry despite salt fog and a man who had been in the water for sixty hours; his eyes were open, his arms folded, and a shoe was missing from his right foot. How did a meticulous sailor file float plans, broadcast a position, and still end up washed ashore with a dry card tucked under his arm - and what kept him alive long enough to be found?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from departure to discovery: the filed float plan, missed check-ins, a search that ran on faulty current data, and the small items Bruce carried that mattered. Could a malfunctioning buoy, an 18-nautical-mile drift error, and a four-by-three-foot hatch cover explain why rescue teams passed within seven nautical miles without seeing him?

Person: Bruce Hicks
Date: June 8-12, 2019
Location: Oregon coast; Garibaldi Marina to near Tillamook Bay
Event: Six-day survival and beach discovery
Item: handheld VHF radio in dry bag

- Bruce Hicks was 48 years old and had been sailing since age 11.
- Bruce departed Garibaldi Marina on Saturday, June 8, 2019, with a four-day float plan returning June 11.
- A NOAA buoy (Station 46089) began reporting anomalous current data on June 10, which was not relayed to Astoria.
- The incorrect current input caused the SAR model to miss Bruce by about 18 nautical miles over three days.
- A Coast Guard lifeboat passed approximately seven nautical miles from Bruce on the first search day; Bruce’s hatch cover measured 4 ft by 3 ft and lacked reflective markings.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1027falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-compass-in-the-marsh-how-one-needle-solved-a-lost-sailor-s-fate--73079040
A brass compass, dome intact and needle steady at eleven degrees east of magnetic north, was found sitting level in marsh grass with no dock, boat, or tire tracks nearby - and six days earlier a man was adrift sixty miles offshore with one glass of water a day. How did that small instrument become the key clue between a service truck on Dunmore Road and a liferaft in the Atlantic?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and events that link a found compass to a missing sailor. You will hear where the compass was located, who found it, and the timeline of the sailor's voyage and distress - and how a single navigational needle raised the question that guided the search.

Person: Edward Osborne
Date: May 9, 2023, 07:14 (compass found)
Location: Dunmore Road marsh (compass); sixty miles offshore (Osborne's drift)
Event: Callie Jean capsized at 23:40 on May 3; mast cut off; EPIRB activated at 00:17 on May 4
Status: Osborne adrift for six days with two liters of water rationed to ~300 ml/day

- Compass found by Thomas Nelson at 07:14 on May 9, 2023, sitting level in marsh grass with needle pointing 11° east of magnetic north.
- Edward Osborne, age 31, certified marine electrician, lived aboard the 42-foot sloop Callie Jean and planned to return by May 7 after departing toward Ocracoke Inlet on May 2.
- On the night of May 3 winds rose from 12 knots to over 50 knots; the Callie Jean went down at 23:40 after a lateral roll buried the boom.
- Osborne spent 40 minutes sawing off the mast in 40-knot winds and activated his EPIRB at 00:17 on May 4; the EPIRB fix placed the search zone roughly 60 miles northeast of his actual drift.
- Osborne had two liters of water in the raft kit and rationed to approximately 300 milliliters per day because his desalinator was crushed and inaccessible.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079040Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:40 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Compass in the Marsh: How One Needle Solved a Lost Sailor's Fate A brass compass, dome intact and needle steady at eleven degrees east of magnetic north, was found sitting level in marsh grass with no dock, boat, or tire tracks nearby - and six...
A brass compass, dome intact and needle steady at eleven degrees east of magnetic north, was found sitting level in marsh grass with no dock, boat, or tire tracks nearby - and six days earlier a man was adrift sixty miles offshore with one glass of water a day. How did that small instrument become the key clue between a service truck on Dunmore Road and a liferaft in the Atlantic?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and events that link a found compass to a missing sailor. You will hear where the compass was located, who found it, and the timeline of the sailor's voyage and distress - and how a single navigational needle raised the question that guided the search.

Person: Edward Osborne
Date: May 9, 2023, 07:14 (compass found)
Location: Dunmore Road marsh (compass); sixty miles offshore (Osborne's drift)
Event: Callie Jean capsized at 23:40 on May 3; mast cut off; EPIRB activated at 00:17 on May 4
Status: Osborne adrift for six days with two liters of water rationed to ~300 ml/day

- Compass found by Thomas Nelson at 07:14 on May 9, 2023, sitting level in marsh grass with needle pointing 11° east of magnetic north.
- Edward Osborne, age 31, certified marine electrician, lived aboard the 42-foot sloop Callie Jean and planned to return by May 7 after departing toward Ocracoke Inlet on May 2.
- On the night of May 3 winds rose from 12 knots to over 50 knots; the Callie Jean went down at 23:40 after a lateral roll buried the boom.
- Osborne spent 40 minutes sawing off the mast in 40-knot winds and activated his EPIRB at 00:17 on May 4; the EPIRB fix placed the search zone roughly 60 miles northeast of his actual drift.
- Osborne had two liters of water in the raft kit and rationed to approximately 300 milliliters per day because his desalinator was crushed and inaccessible.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1125falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/warm-stew-empty-helm-how-a-man-vanished-from-his-sloop--73079039
A warm bowl of chicken stew on a tidy cabin table, an autopilot humming, and a thirty-four-foot sloop drifting empty off the North Carolina coast - how did a man vanish between taking a seat to eat and being found hours later alive in a dinghy six and a half nautical miles away? What chain of small, methodical choices - a fractured arm, a dead radio battery, a towed inflatable - turned a routine overnight passage into a fourteen-hour mystery?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the April 8 departure through the April 9 discovery: the logged notes, the warm bowl, the empty helm, the search that first looked in the wrong place and the tip that redirected resources and changed everything. How did the evidence on the Aldine Star lead to finding Grant Gallagher alive but barely?

Person: Grant Gallagher
Date: April 8-9, 2019
Location: off the North Carolina coast, Tillard Point departure to Cape Elbow
Vessel: Aldine Star, 1987, 34-foot sloop
Dinghy: 2.5-meter Achilles inflatable with 3-horsepower outboard

- At 06:22 on April 9 a retired postal clerk spotted the unmanned sloop drifting and called the coastguard four minutes later.
- Grant logged “Heard something underneath” at 20:49 and a final entry at 21:17: “Engine on. AP engaged two twenty. Going to eat.”
- The vessel’s diesel auxiliary was a Westerbeke, 23 horsepower, with a fuel tank holding seven gallons.
- The warm white ceramic bowl of chicken stew on the cabin sole showed a condensation ring and was still warm despite at least 14 hours adrift in 46°F air and 51°F sea.
- A marina attendant’s tip the afternoon after discovery redirected search resources, leading to a coastguard helicopter finding Grant alive in a small inflatable 6.5 nautical miles from his boat.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079039Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:37 +0000Creator at ObomediaWarm Stew, Empty Helm: How a Man Vanished From His Sloop A warm bowl of chicken stew on a tidy cabin table, an autopilot humming, and a thirty-four-foot sloop drifting empty off the North Carolina coast - how did a man vanish between taking a seat...
A warm bowl of chicken stew on a tidy cabin table, an autopilot humming, and a thirty-four-foot sloop drifting empty off the North Carolina coast - how did a man vanish between taking a seat to eat and being found hours later alive in a dinghy six and a half nautical miles away? What chain of small, methodical choices - a fractured arm, a dead radio battery, a towed inflatable - turned a routine overnight passage into a fourteen-hour mystery?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the April 8 departure through the April 9 discovery: the logged notes, the warm bowl, the empty helm, the search that first looked in the wrong place and the tip that redirected resources and changed everything. How did the evidence on the Aldine Star lead to finding Grant Gallagher alive but barely?

Person: Grant Gallagher
Date: April 8-9, 2019
Location: off the North Carolina coast, Tillard Point departure to Cape Elbow
Vessel: Aldine Star, 1987, 34-foot sloop
Dinghy: 2.5-meter Achilles inflatable with 3-horsepower outboard

- At 06:22 on April 9 a retired postal clerk spotted the unmanned sloop drifting and called the coastguard four minutes later.
- Grant logged “Heard something underneath” at 20:49 and a final entry at 21:17: “Engine on. AP engaged two twenty. Going to eat.”
- The vessel’s diesel auxiliary was a Westerbeke, 23 horsepower, with a fuel tank holding seven gallons.
- The warm white ceramic bowl of chicken stew on the cabin sole showed a condensation ring and was still warm despite at least 14 hours adrift in 46°F air and 51°F sea.
- A marina attendant’s tip the afternoon after discovery redirected search resources, leading to a coastguard helicopter finding Grant alive in a small inflatable 6.5 nautical miles from his boat.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1225falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-whiteboard-that-saved-her-seven-days-adrift-one-message--73079038
Fear and relief collide the moment a dry-erase board washes ashore after seven days at sea - its handwriting still crisp: "DAY 7. DINGHY ADRIFT. 2 SOULS. PD + NK." How did that whiteboard survive open water and land in a roadside thicket just in time to signal a rescue no beacon could? Who wrote it, and could a small written message be the difference between life and death?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine departure on March 5, 2011 to a night of breaking seas and a lost emergency beacon, tracing how a meticulous woman’s habits and a forgotten raft package shaped a desperate survival story. Listen to learn how the whiteboard turned an ordinary salvage oddity into the crucial clue that kept someone alive.

Person: Pamela Davis
Person: Jeff Nugent
Person: Nina Kwan
Date: March 5-14, 2011
Location: Gulf of Mexico / Heron Spit / Pelican Reach Road

- The sailboat Bel Canto departed Ferris Landing on March 5, 2011 for a six-day passage south.
- On March 7 at 21:40, a squall produced gusts up to 42 knots and waves of 8-10 feet.
- At 23:10 the boom struck Jeff Nugent, causing a chest injury; the portable VHF later failed.
- The EPIRB was left in Nugent’s truck, not aboard the Bel Canto, rendering no automatic distress signal.
- A secondhand life-raft package contained an 8x10 dry-erase board and marker sealed in a zip-lock bag, discovered by Pamela during inventory after the rafts separated.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079038Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:34 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Whiteboard That Saved Her: Seven Days Adrift, One Message Fear and relief collide the moment a dry-erase board washes ashore after seven days at sea - its handwriting still crisp: "DAY 7. DINGHY ADRIFT. 2 SOULS. PD + NK." How did that...
Fear and relief collide the moment a dry-erase board washes ashore after seven days at sea - its handwriting still crisp: "DAY 7. DINGHY ADRIFT. 2 SOULS. PD + NK." How did that whiteboard survive open water and land in a roadside thicket just in time to signal a rescue no beacon could? Who wrote it, and could a small written message be the difference between life and death?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine departure on March 5, 2011 to a night of breaking seas and a lost emergency beacon, tracing how a meticulous woman’s habits and a forgotten raft package shaped a desperate survival story. Listen to learn how the whiteboard turned an ordinary salvage oddity into the crucial clue that kept someone alive.

Person: Pamela Davis
Person: Jeff Nugent
Person: Nina Kwan
Date: March 5-14, 2011
Location: Gulf of Mexico / Heron Spit / Pelican Reach Road

- The sailboat Bel Canto departed Ferris Landing on March 5, 2011 for a six-day passage south.
- On March 7 at 21:40, a squall produced gusts up to 42 knots and waves of 8-10 feet.
- At 23:10 the boom struck Jeff Nugent, causing a chest injury; the portable VHF later failed.
- The EPIRB was left in Nugent’s truck, not aboard the Bel Canto, rendering no automatic distress signal.
- A secondhand life-raft package contained an 8x10 dry-erase board and marker sealed in a zip-lock bag, discovered by Pamela during inventory after the rafts separated.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1111falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-mirror-that-saved-her-why-alice-ignored-four-flares-at-sea--73079036
Fear and stubborn focus: a woman survived ten days alone at sea with a warm, worn signal mirror in her hand while four parachute flares lay unused beside her-why would she never fire them? What decision turned those untouched flares into the key detail that changes everything about her survival story?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from departure to rescue, tracing Alice Patterson’s skills, equipment, and the navigational facts that placed her raft far from where search teams expected. Was the decision to keep the flares unused a calculated choice born of training and circumstance?

Person: Alice Patterson
Date: February 3-13, 2023
Location: Eleven miles off the Oregon coast (rescued); mast fell ~18 miles northwest of Garibaldi
Boat: Mira Jean, 1978 fiberglass sloop, 34 feet
Status: Rescued by helicopter after ten days; hypothermic and dehydrated, missing eleven pounds

- Alice deployed the life raft manually after the mast fell and the automatic inflator did not trigger.
- The EPIRB was ripped free by the falling mast and sank, producing no automatic distress signal.
- Alice’s handheld GPS recorded position until February 9, showing her raft circled in a seasonal eddy 20-30 miles offshore.
- The four parachute flares in the raft remained unopened beside her when she was rescued on February 13 at 4:15 PM.
- She was rescued from a life raft eleven miles off the Oregon coast by a helicopter crew after ten days of searching.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079036Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:31 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Mirror That Saved Her - Why Alice Ignored Four Flares at Sea Fear and stubborn focus: a woman survived ten days alone at sea with a warm, worn signal mirror in her hand while four parachute flares lay unused beside her-why would she never fire...
Fear and stubborn focus: a woman survived ten days alone at sea with a warm, worn signal mirror in her hand while four parachute flares lay unused beside her-why would she never fire them? What decision turned those untouched flares into the key detail that changes everything about her survival story?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from departure to rescue, tracing Alice Patterson’s skills, equipment, and the navigational facts that placed her raft far from where search teams expected. Was the decision to keep the flares unused a calculated choice born of training and circumstance?

Person: Alice Patterson
Date: February 3-13, 2023
Location: Eleven miles off the Oregon coast (rescued); mast fell ~18 miles northwest of Garibaldi
Boat: Mira Jean, 1978 fiberglass sloop, 34 feet
Status: Rescued by helicopter after ten days; hypothermic and dehydrated, missing eleven pounds

- Alice deployed the life raft manually after the mast fell and the automatic inflator did not trigger.
- The EPIRB was ripped free by the falling mast and sank, producing no automatic distress signal.
- Alice’s handheld GPS recorded position until February 9, showing her raft circled in a seasonal eddy 20-30 miles offshore.
- The four parachute flares in the raft remained unopened beside her when she was rescued on February 13 at 4:15 PM.
- She was rescued from a life raft eleven miles off the Oregon coast by a helicopter crew after ten days of searching.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1122falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/lost-at-sea-found-how-ruth-survived-when-rescue-went-to-the-wrong-ocean--73079035
A lone woman adrift on a thirty-eight-foot sloop, four gallons of water and six cans of coconut water, while the coast guard searched three hundred miles away - how did Ruth survive when every rescue resource went to the wrong ocean? The EPIRB worked, the satellite worked, but one outdated registration sent help to north Florida instead of the Bahamas; what did Ruth improvise aboard a damaged vessel with no compass, no radio, and no one coming?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from departure to the moment Ruth had to take command of the Meridian Cross and keep herself alive. We trace the technical failure that rerouted the search and the handful of improvised decisions Ruth made to head north and stay afloat - and we ask what it takes to survive when systems fail you.

Person: Ruth Miller
Person: Frank Pruett
Date: January 3-8, 2009
Location: Bahamian waters near a submarine ridge
Vessel: Meridian Cross, 38-foot sloop

- The EPIRB signal from the vessel was received by the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite network minutes after 11:47 on January 7, 2009.
- The search-and-rescue effort was directed to north Florida and the Georgia coast because the beacon registration still listed Fernandina Beach from 2003, about 300 miles north.
- Ruth had four gallons of emergency water and six cans of coconut water when she was left alone on the boat.
- Frank Pruett, the owner and experienced mariner, was swept overboard by an 18-20-foot wave on the morning of January 7 at approximately 11:47.
- On January 8, Ruth moved a bow cleat to the cabin top using tools from Frank’s locker as part of her improvised efforts to manage the vessel.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079035Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:27 +0000Creator at ObomediaLost at Sea, Found: How Ruth Survived When Rescue Went To The Wrong Ocean A lone woman adrift on a thirty-eight-foot sloop, four gallons of water and six cans of coconut water, while the coast guard searched three hundred miles away - how did Ruth...
A lone woman adrift on a thirty-eight-foot sloop, four gallons of water and six cans of coconut water, while the coast guard searched three hundred miles away - how did Ruth survive when every rescue resource went to the wrong ocean? The EPIRB worked, the satellite worked, but one outdated registration sent help to north Florida instead of the Bahamas; what did Ruth improvise aboard a damaged vessel with no compass, no radio, and no one coming?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from departure to the moment Ruth had to take command of the Meridian Cross and keep herself alive. We trace the technical failure that rerouted the search and the handful of improvised decisions Ruth made to head north and stay afloat - and we ask what it takes to survive when systems fail you.

Person: Ruth Miller
Person: Frank Pruett
Date: January 3-8, 2009
Location: Bahamian waters near a submarine ridge
Vessel: Meridian Cross, 38-foot sloop

- The EPIRB signal from the vessel was received by the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite network minutes after 11:47 on January 7, 2009.
- The search-and-rescue effort was directed to north Florida and the Georgia coast because the beacon registration still listed Fernandina Beach from 2003, about 300 miles north.
- Ruth had four gallons of emergency water and six cans of coconut water when she was left alone on the boat.
- Frank Pruett, the owner and experienced mariner, was swept overboard by an 18-20-foot wave on the morning of January 7 at approximately 11:47.
- On January 8, Ruth moved a bow cleat to the cabin top using tools from Frank’s locker as part of her improvised efforts to manage the vessel.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1174falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bottle-standing-upright-a-life-saved-a-course-lost--73079034
A sealed half-liter bottle stood upright in the sand with paper folded inside - a message written without ink that pointed to a navigation error invisible to every search flight and a rescue that happened eleven hours before the note could be credited. How did a drifting life raft end up miles from every mathematically correct search pattern, and what did the bottle reveal that searchers missed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine coastal passage to a sudden storm, the sinking of the Alma Lee, and nine days of searching that missed the raft’s true drift; we trace the decisions, the anomalous gulf current, and the small objects that mattered most, asking how one piece of paper changed everything.

Person: Darlene Jensen
Person: Kevin Marsh
Vessel: Alma Lee
Date: December 8
Search radius uncertainty: three miles

- The Alma Lee departed on Thursday, the eighth of December at 11:00 AM.
- Winds reached 35 knots by 4:00 PM as the front accelerated ahead of forecast.
- The boat sank at approximately 6:15 PM; the emergency beacon transmitted for 11 minutes.
- Darlene boarded an inflated life raft about 40 minutes after the Alma Lee sank, less than 200 yards from her life ring.
- A sealed half-liter bottle with folded paper washed ashore nine days later at 5:47 AM.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079034Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:24 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Bottle Standing Upright: A Life Saved, A Course Lost A sealed half-liter bottle stood upright in the sand with paper folded inside - a message written without ink that pointed to a navigation error invisible to every search flight and a rescue...
A sealed half-liter bottle stood upright in the sand with paper folded inside - a message written without ink that pointed to a navigation error invisible to every search flight and a rescue that happened eleven hours before the note could be credited. How did a drifting life raft end up miles from every mathematically correct search pattern, and what did the bottle reveal that searchers missed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine coastal passage to a sudden storm, the sinking of the Alma Lee, and nine days of searching that missed the raft’s true drift; we trace the decisions, the anomalous gulf current, and the small objects that mattered most, asking how one piece of paper changed everything.

Person: Darlene Jensen
Person: Kevin Marsh
Vessel: Alma Lee
Date: December 8
Search radius uncertainty: three miles

- The Alma Lee departed on Thursday, the eighth of December at 11:00 AM.
- Winds reached 35 knots by 4:00 PM as the front accelerated ahead of forecast.
- The boat sank at approximately 6:15 PM; the emergency beacon transmitted for 11 minutes.
- Darlene boarded an inflated life raft about 40 minutes after the Alma Lee sank, less than 200 yards from her life ring.
- A sealed half-liter bottle with folded paper washed ashore nine days later at 5:47 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1179falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-notebook-seven-names-six-days-the-raft-that-shouldn-t-be--73079033
A dry notebook was found on a soaked street after two and a half inches of rain - and inside, seven names with checks and Xs written by a man who woke in a New Orleans hospital unable to remember writing them. The list matched everyone rescued from an inflatable raft that drifted six days after the chemical tanker Maren Strait sank; why was that notebook perfectly dry, and what did the marks beside the names mean?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and personal details tied to the sinking, the rescue, and the mysterious piece of evidence that became part of the NTSB investigation. How did a penetrating collision, a disabled AIS, and a cracked Bic pen shape who lived and who didn’t?

Ship: Maren Strait
Collision partner: Petros Cain
Date: November 10 (collision) and November 19 (notebook found); rain event: November 19 at 7:42 a.m.
Survivors on raft: 5 rescued alive; total on raft: 7; fatalities from raft: 2
Water temperature at Station 42-40: 67°F

- The Petros Cain struck the Maren Strait at a 40-degree angle, 140 feet aft of the bow.
- Captain Erling Voss ordered abandon ship at nine minutes after the collision; the forward pump room was on fire within seven minutes.
- The Maren Strait was 912 feet long and Marshall Islands-registered, carrying industrial solvents from Corpus Christi to Tampa.
- Christine Lane, a meter reader, photographed the notebook at 7:42 a.m. on November 19 and sealed it in a freezer bag before calling the harbor authority.
- The National Transportation Safety Board authenticated the notebook and submitted it as evidence in their formal investigation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079033Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:21 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Notebook, Seven Names, Six Days: The Raft That Shouldn't Be A dry notebook was found on a soaked street after two and a half inches of rain - and inside, seven names with checks and Xs written by a man who woke in a New Orleans hospital unable...
A dry notebook was found on a soaked street after two and a half inches of rain - and inside, seven names with checks and Xs written by a man who woke in a New Orleans hospital unable to remember writing them. The list matched everyone rescued from an inflatable raft that drifted six days after the chemical tanker Maren Strait sank; why was that notebook perfectly dry, and what did the marks beside the names mean?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and personal details tied to the sinking, the rescue, and the mysterious piece of evidence that became part of the NTSB investigation. How did a penetrating collision, a disabled AIS, and a cracked Bic pen shape who lived and who didn’t?

Ship: Maren Strait
Collision partner: Petros Cain
Date: November 10 (collision) and November 19 (notebook found); rain event: November 19 at 7:42 a.m.
Survivors on raft: 5 rescued alive; total on raft: 7; fatalities from raft: 2
Water temperature at Station 42-40: 67°F

- The Petros Cain struck the Maren Strait at a 40-degree angle, 140 feet aft of the bow.
- Captain Erling Voss ordered abandon ship at nine minutes after the collision; the forward pump room was on fire within seven minutes.
- The Maren Strait was 912 feet long and Marshall Islands-registered, carrying industrial solvents from Corpus Christi to Tampa.
- Christine Lane, a meter reader, photographed the notebook at 7:42 a.m. on November 19 and sealed it in a freezer bag before calling the harbor authority.
- The National Transportation Safety Board authenticated the notebook and submitted it as evidence in their formal investigation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1312falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-flower-in-the-logbook-how-two-survived-the-fog-ocean--73079032
A dry blue-purple flower tucked in a waterlogged logbook turned up on basalt rocks two hundred and sixty miles from the vessel that carried it, and the flower had been dry for at least two days - how did that small, sheltered detail change the search and the outcome? This episode follows a series of slim margins and improvised solutions that stretched over twenty-one days at sea and asks: which decisions and failures tilted the odds between rescue and loss?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to return, tracing equipment failures, rationing, makeshift water collection, and the human choices that kept two sailors alive despite compounding hazards. Could a pressed flower and a failing satellite communicator alter where people looked for help?

Person: Sherry Riley
Person: Tom Breck
Event: Departure October 24, 2019 at 7:40 a.m.
Location: Pelican Reach, Oregon (logbook found November 14, 2019)
Vessel: Ardent Clare, 47-foot sloop

- The logbook was found spine-down in a crevice above the tide line on November 14, 2019, with a small blue-purple flower pressed dry in the back pages.
- The vessel that carried the logbook was still adrift two hundred and sixty miles offshore when the book was found.
- Sherry Riley departed Astoria on October 24, 2019 at 7:40 a.m.; she was sixty-three and had owned the Ardent Clare for nine years.
- The onboard water supply at failure of the watermaker was approximately four gallons in the tank plus twelve one-liter bottles, enough for roughly four days at normal consumption for two people.
- By day four of the passage, a makeshift sail-drip system was yielding close to five hundred milliliters before sunrise during dense fog.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079032Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:17 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Flower in the Logbook: How Two Survived the Fog Ocean A dry blue-purple flower tucked in a waterlogged logbook turned up on basalt rocks two hundred and sixty miles from the vessel that carried it, and the flower had been dry for at least...
A dry blue-purple flower tucked in a waterlogged logbook turned up on basalt rocks two hundred and sixty miles from the vessel that carried it, and the flower had been dry for at least two days - how did that small, sheltered detail change the search and the outcome? This episode follows a series of slim margins and improvised solutions that stretched over twenty-one days at sea and asks: which decisions and failures tilted the odds between rescue and loss?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to return, tracing equipment failures, rationing, makeshift water collection, and the human choices that kept two sailors alive despite compounding hazards. Could a pressed flower and a failing satellite communicator alter where people looked for help?

Person: Sherry Riley
Person: Tom Breck
Event: Departure October 24, 2019 at 7:40 a.m.
Location: Pelican Reach, Oregon (logbook found November 14, 2019)
Vessel: Ardent Clare, 47-foot sloop

- The logbook was found spine-down in a crevice above the tide line on November 14, 2019, with a small blue-purple flower pressed dry in the back pages.
- The vessel that carried the logbook was still adrift two hundred and sixty miles offshore when the book was found.
- Sherry Riley departed Astoria on October 24, 2019 at 7:40 a.m.; she was sixty-three and had owned the Ardent Clare for nine years.
- The onboard water supply at failure of the watermaker was approximately four gallons in the tank plus twelve one-liter bottles, enough for roughly four days at normal consumption for two people.
- By day four of the passage, a makeshift sail-drip system was yielding close to five hundred milliliters before sunrise during dense fog.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1188falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/una-perrita-encontro-en-la-playa-el-separador-de-libro-que-salvo-dos-vidas-humanas--73079030
A dog stopped at the waterline and found a laminated café menu that had come sixty-two miles across the Pacific, intact and legible - a clue that would redirect a rescue already searching in the wrong area. How did a menu bookmark travel that far and lead rescuers to two people clinging to an anchor chain in fifty-three-degree water?

In this episode, you’ll hear the timeline of events from the night a propane failure turned a catamaran into a burning wreck, to the moments Heather Mason and Tom Wexler spent holding an anchor chain in the dark. What single found object changed the course of a search and why did the EPIRB position fix point nineteen nautical miles away from their real location?

Person: Heather Mason
Person: Tom Wexler
Date: September 12-14, 2017
Location: Shelter Cove / thirty-one miles offshore
Status: Two people in the water rescued after thirty-four hours

- The propane connection failed at 11:58 PM on September 12, 2017, and the boat sank in nine minutes.
- The Garmin eTrex logged position fixes every fifteen minutes and showed a slow drift before stabilizing when the anchor reset.
- The EPIRB signal was received just after midnight on September 13 by the Eleventh District MRCC with a fix nineteen nautical miles east of their actual position.
- Cleo, a Belgian Malinois, found a laminated Pelican Flat Café menu at 6:47 AM on September 14, and the menu had come from sixty-two miles south.
- Heather and Tom had been in fifty-three-degree Fahrenheit water for thirty-four hours, holding onto an anchor chain set at roughly sixty feet depth.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079030Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:14 +0000Creator at ObomediaUna perrita encontró en la playa el separador de libro que salvó dos vidas humanas A dog stopped at the waterline and found a laminated café menu that had come sixty-two miles across the Pacific, intact and legible - a clue that would redirect a...
A dog stopped at the waterline and found a laminated café menu that had come sixty-two miles across the Pacific, intact and legible - a clue that would redirect a rescue already searching in the wrong area. How did a menu bookmark travel that far and lead rescuers to two people clinging to an anchor chain in fifty-three-degree water?

In this episode, you’ll hear the timeline of events from the night a propane failure turned a catamaran into a burning wreck, to the moments Heather Mason and Tom Wexler spent holding an anchor chain in the dark. What single found object changed the course of a search and why did the EPIRB position fix point nineteen nautical miles away from their real location?

Person: Heather Mason
Person: Tom Wexler
Date: September 12-14, 2017
Location: Shelter Cove / thirty-one miles offshore
Status: Two people in the water rescued after thirty-four hours

- The propane connection failed at 11:58 PM on September 12, 2017, and the boat sank in nine minutes.
- The Garmin eTrex logged position fixes every fifteen minutes and showed a slow drift before stabilizing when the anchor reset.
- The EPIRB signal was received just after midnight on September 13 by the Eleventh District MRCC with a fix nineteen nautical miles east of their actual position.
- Cleo, a Belgian Malinois, found a laminated Pelican Flat Café menu at 6:47 AM on September 14, and the menu had come from sixty-two miles south.
- Heather and Tom had been in fifty-three-degree Fahrenheit water for thirty-four hours, holding onto an anchor chain set at roughly sixty feet depth.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1221falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-card-how-a-solo-sailor-vanished-into-fog-and-storm--73079029
A dry laminated card tucked in a soaked jacket pocket after nine days at sea: that impossible detail is the first clue in a disappearance where a broken mast, a half-full coffee mug, and an unused life raft refuse to add up. What did Rhonda Schmidt choose to do when her instruments failed and the storm closed in?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline and tangible evidence left aboard the Pelican Run to trace Rhonda Schmidt’s final voyage and the decisions she made under pressure. How does a sailor with thirty-eight years of experience end up with a dry card while everything around her is drenched?

Person: Rhonda Schmidt
Vessel: Pelican Run
Departure Date: August 5, 2019
Discovery Date: August 14, 2019
Position (last log): ~19 nautical miles east-northeast of Cape Lookout

- Rhonda was 49 years old and had been sailing since age 11, giving her 38 years of experience.
- She left Beaufort Town Docks at 06:15 on August 5, 2019 with nine days of provisions and water planned at 2 liters/day plus 30% surplus.
- Her last log entry was made at 14:20 on August 8, 2019 and abruptly stops mid-sentence after “Decided to heave to and wait out -”.
- The Pelican Run was found by Marilyn Coleman just before 06:00 on August 14, 2019 with the mast listing ~20 degrees, no running lights, and no engine sound.
- A laminated card in Rhonda’s jacket pocket read “Day nine. Water: zero. Heading: 047. Hold.” and remained dry while cockpit cushions, chart table, and log were wet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079029Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:11 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Card: How a Solo Sailor Vanished Into Fog and Storm A dry laminated card tucked in a soaked jacket pocket after nine days at sea: that impossible detail is the first clue in a disappearance where a broken mast, a half-full coffee mug, and...
A dry laminated card tucked in a soaked jacket pocket after nine days at sea: that impossible detail is the first clue in a disappearance where a broken mast, a half-full coffee mug, and an unused life raft refuse to add up. What did Rhonda Schmidt choose to do when her instruments failed and the storm closed in?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline and tangible evidence left aboard the Pelican Run to trace Rhonda Schmidt’s final voyage and the decisions she made under pressure. How does a sailor with thirty-eight years of experience end up with a dry card while everything around her is drenched?

Person: Rhonda Schmidt
Vessel: Pelican Run
Departure Date: August 5, 2019
Discovery Date: August 14, 2019
Position (last log): ~19 nautical miles east-northeast of Cape Lookout

- Rhonda was 49 years old and had been sailing since age 11, giving her 38 years of experience.
- She left Beaufort Town Docks at 06:15 on August 5, 2019 with nine days of provisions and water planned at 2 liters/day plus 30% surplus.
- Her last log entry was made at 14:20 on August 8, 2019 and abruptly stops mid-sentence after “Decided to heave to and wait out -”.
- The Pelican Run was found by Marilyn Coleman just before 06:00 on August 14, 2019 with the mast listing ~20 degrees, no running lights, and no engine sound.
- A laminated card in Rhonda’s jacket pocket read “Day nine. Water: zero. Heading: 047. Hold.” and remained dry while cockpit cushions, chart table, and log were wet.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1162falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-that-should-have-been-soggy-the-ardent-fern-mystery--73079028
An upright rubber boot drifted in Onslow Bay for six days, twenty-two nautical miles from where it entered the water, with a laminated card inside bone dry and scrawled with a constellation diagram and three numbers - a detail that should have been impossible. How did a card stay dry after six days at sea, and what did the card mean for a search already scanning the wrong water?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Ardent Fern incident from July 2019, following four people aboard a thirty-two-foot sloop when conditions turned suddenly dangerous, and tracing how a four-nautical-mile chart datum error sent rescuers looking in the wrong place. What happened that night, and how did the ocean, a boot, and a mis-set instrument reshape the search?

Person: Amanda Cox
Date: July 7, 2019
Location: Onslow Bay, twenty-two nautical miles from reported position
Vessel: Ardent Fern, thirty-two-foot sloop
Error: Chartplotter set to wrong datum by four nautical miles

- The boot floated upright and was recovered after six days in the Atlantic.
- The laminated card inside the boot was bone dry and marked with a constellation diagram and three numbers.
- Amanda Cox had logged more than twelve thousand ocean miles and owned a plastic sextant.
- The Ardent Fern departed Beaufort Inlet at 16:40 and had sails up by 17:00.
- The chartplotter’s datum was offset by four nautical miles, causing the reported position to be incorrect.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079028Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:07 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot That Should Have Been Soggy: The Ardent Fern Mystery An upright rubber boot drifted in Onslow Bay for six days, twenty-two nautical miles from where it entered the water, with a laminated card inside bone dry and scrawled with a...
An upright rubber boot drifted in Onslow Bay for six days, twenty-two nautical miles from where it entered the water, with a laminated card inside bone dry and scrawled with a constellation diagram and three numbers - a detail that should have been impossible. How did a card stay dry after six days at sea, and what did the card mean for a search already scanning the wrong water?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Ardent Fern incident from July 2019, following four people aboard a thirty-two-foot sloop when conditions turned suddenly dangerous, and tracing how a four-nautical-mile chart datum error sent rescuers looking in the wrong place. What happened that night, and how did the ocean, a boot, and a mis-set instrument reshape the search?

Person: Amanda Cox
Date: July 7, 2019
Location: Onslow Bay, twenty-two nautical miles from reported position
Vessel: Ardent Fern, thirty-two-foot sloop
Error: Chartplotter set to wrong datum by four nautical miles

- The boot floated upright and was recovered after six days in the Atlantic.
- The laminated card inside the boot was bone dry and marked with a constellation diagram and three numbers.
- Amanda Cox had logged more than twelve thousand ocean miles and owned a plastic sextant.
- The Ardent Fern departed Beaufort Inlet at 16:40 and had sails up by 17:00.
- The chartplotter’s datum was offset by four nautical miles, causing the reported position to be incorrect.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1134falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-woman-who-chose-an-address-book-over-a-distress-beacon--73079026
The chill of the Gulf hides brutal choices: a marine electrician knotting an address book to a horseshoe life ring instead of activating an EPIRB, and a single bearing and time nearly erased by seawater that would redirect a search more than 150 miles. How did one small, handwritten dead-reckoning note become the only signal to where Tracy Hughes might have been?

In this episode, we tell the story of what the episode covers: the solo coastal voyage, the gale that dismasted the sloop Corcoran, and the address book tossed ashore that carried the only clue rediscovering her path. Could a bearing and a time scrawled in ballpoint be the difference between being lost and being found?

Person: Tracy Hughes
Age: 52
Vessel: 32-foot fiberglass sloop named Corcoran
Last confirmed fuel transaction: $41 at Fort Walton Beach on June 6, 2019
Recorded bearing and time in address book: 210 degrees at 03:40

- Tracy called her brother Frank every Wednesday at 21:45 for eleven years without missing a call.
- She filed a float plan for Pensacola to Apalachee Bay, departing June 5, 2019, due back June 10, 2019.
- On the night of June 7 a gale produced 6-8 foot seas and gusts above 40 knots; by ~03:40 on June 8 the mast came down.
- Tracy’s EPIRB went overboard with the mast; she knotted her address book to an orange horseshoe life ring and recorded bearing 210° and time 03:40.
- On June 14 at 06:17 a man at Pelican Flats in the Florida Keys found the waterlogged spiral notebook knotted to a horseshoe life ring.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079026Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Woman Who Chose an Address Book Over a Distress Beacon The chill of the Gulf hides brutal choices: a marine electrician knotting an address book to a horseshoe life ring instead of activating an EPIRB, and a single bearing and time nearly...
The chill of the Gulf hides brutal choices: a marine electrician knotting an address book to a horseshoe life ring instead of activating an EPIRB, and a single bearing and time nearly erased by seawater that would redirect a search more than 150 miles. How did one small, handwritten dead-reckoning note become the only signal to where Tracy Hughes might have been?

In this episode, we tell the story of what the episode covers: the solo coastal voyage, the gale that dismasted the sloop Corcoran, and the address book tossed ashore that carried the only clue rediscovering her path. Could a bearing and a time scrawled in ballpoint be the difference between being lost and being found?

Person: Tracy Hughes
Age: 52
Vessel: 32-foot fiberglass sloop named Corcoran
Last confirmed fuel transaction: $41 at Fort Walton Beach on June 6, 2019
Recorded bearing and time in address book: 210 degrees at 03:40

- Tracy called her brother Frank every Wednesday at 21:45 for eleven years without missing a call.
- She filed a float plan for Pensacola to Apalachee Bay, departing June 5, 2019, due back June 10, 2019.
- On the night of June 7 a gale produced 6-8 foot seas and gusts above 40 knots; by ~03:40 on June 8 the mast came down.
- Tracy’s EPIRB went overboard with the mast; she knotted her address book to an orange horseshoe life ring and recorded bearing 210° and time 03:40.
- On June 14 at 06:17 a man at Pelican Flats in the Florida Keys found the waterlogged spiral notebook knotted to a horseshoe life ring.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1202falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-mother-ties-a-double-knot-the-lena-shore-capsize--73079024
A size four sneaker with a tight double knot washed up on the north breakwater forty-eight hours after a ferry went underwater in less than forty seconds - a single shoelace detail that didn’t match routine debris. What else in this chain of documented failures and timing errors explains what happened to nine-year-old Owen McCarthy?

In this episode, we follow the documented facts of the Lena Shore crossing, the passengers aboard, and the safety records and mechanical details that intersected that morning to raise unanswered questions about survivability and responsibility. How did a manufacturing report, life jacket defects, crew composition, and a sudden passenger surge combine into a catastrophic event?

Date: May 12, 2011
Person: Owen McCarthy
Person: Christine McCarthy
Vessel: Lena Shore
Location: Tarbell Passage

- 31 people boarded the Lena Shore at 7:45 a.m., including 22 children and 3 teachers.
- A birdwatcher found a size four child's sneaker with a tight double knot at 7:52 a.m. on May 14, 2011.
- Six of the 22 children's Type II life jackets from the dock compartment shared a manufacturing defect in the left shoulder strap webbing.
- A supplier quality-control report documenting the life jacket defect sat in a filing system for 14 months; Kelso Island Ferries had been notified.
- The Lena Shore went underwater in less than 40 seconds after a lateral weight shift of less than 2.5 meters caused by 22 children surging toward the port rail.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079024Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:41:00 +0000Creator at ObomediaA Mother Ties a Double Knot: The Lena Shore Capsize A size four sneaker with a tight double knot washed up on the north breakwater forty-eight hours after a ferry went underwater in less than forty seconds - a single shoelace detail that didn’t...
A size four sneaker with a tight double knot washed up on the north breakwater forty-eight hours after a ferry went underwater in less than forty seconds - a single shoelace detail that didn’t match routine debris. What else in this chain of documented failures and timing errors explains what happened to nine-year-old Owen McCarthy?

In this episode, we follow the documented facts of the Lena Shore crossing, the passengers aboard, and the safety records and mechanical details that intersected that morning to raise unanswered questions about survivability and responsibility. How did a manufacturing report, life jacket defects, crew composition, and a sudden passenger surge combine into a catastrophic event?

Date: May 12, 2011
Person: Owen McCarthy
Person: Christine McCarthy
Vessel: Lena Shore
Location: Tarbell Passage

- 31 people boarded the Lena Shore at 7:45 a.m., including 22 children and 3 teachers.
- A birdwatcher found a size four child's sneaker with a tight double knot at 7:52 a.m. on May 14, 2011.
- Six of the 22 children's Type II life jackets from the dock compartment shared a manufacturing defect in the left shoulder strap webbing.
- A supplier quality-control report documenting the life jacket defect sat in a filing system for 14 months; Kelso Island Ferries had been notified.
- The Lena Shore went underwater in less than 40 seconds after a lateral weight shift of less than 2.5 meters caused by 22 children surging toward the port rail.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1054falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-was-on-board-how-a-life-vest-came-ashore-alone--73079023
A life vest washed up intact with a name stenciled on it, a sealed logbook inside, and no sign of the woman who wore it-how do you reconcile an unused offshore vest with a sailor lost at sea? This episode follows the startling fact that the CO2 cartridge was full and the inflation toggle never pulled, leaving one central question: how did Donna Sheridan end up separated from the only life-saving gear found onshore?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from departure to the moment the vest was found, laying out the timeline, equipment details, and the decisions that shaped the search-can tracing the logbook and the vessel’s course explain why the vest arrived without her?

Person: Donna Sheridan
Date (vest found): April 19, 05:15
Vessel: Meridian Star, 38-foot sloop
Departure: April 3, 18:40 from Crescent Ferry Marina, berth 14
Intended destination: Eureka, approximately 230 nautical miles south

- The life vest was an inflatable offshore model found sitting upright between two drifted logs on April 19 at 05:15.
- The CO2 cartridge in the vest was full and the inflation toggle had never been pulled.
- A name, Donna Sheridan, was written in black marker on the vest and a wire-bound logbook sealed in a one-gallon freezer bag was inside the vest pocket.
- Donna left on April 3 at 18:40; by April 4 at noon the Meridian Star was 22 nautical miles further from the coast than planned.
- At 02:14 on April 5 Donna recorded the exact time the mast came down after a wave struck the rigging at the wrong angle.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079023Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:57 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Was on Board - How a Life Vest Came Ashore Alone A life vest washed up intact with a name stenciled on it, a sealed logbook inside, and no sign of the woman who wore it-how do you reconcile an unused offshore vest with a sailor lost at sea?...
A life vest washed up intact with a name stenciled on it, a sealed logbook inside, and no sign of the woman who wore it-how do you reconcile an unused offshore vest with a sailor lost at sea? This episode follows the startling fact that the CO2 cartridge was full and the inflation toggle never pulled, leaving one central question: how did Donna Sheridan end up separated from the only life-saving gear found onshore?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from departure to the moment the vest was found, laying out the timeline, equipment details, and the decisions that shaped the search-can tracing the logbook and the vessel’s course explain why the vest arrived without her?

Person: Donna Sheridan
Date (vest found): April 19, 05:15
Vessel: Meridian Star, 38-foot sloop
Departure: April 3, 18:40 from Crescent Ferry Marina, berth 14
Intended destination: Eureka, approximately 230 nautical miles south

- The life vest was an inflatable offshore model found sitting upright between two drifted logs on April 19 at 05:15.
- The CO2 cartridge in the vest was full and the inflation toggle had never been pulled.
- A name, Donna Sheridan, was written in black marker on the vest and a wire-bound logbook sealed in a one-gallon freezer bag was inside the vest pocket.
- Donna left on April 3 at 18:40; by April 4 at noon the Meridian Star was 22 nautical miles further from the coast than planned.
- At 02:14 on April 5 Donna recorded the exact time the mast came down after a wave struck the rigging at the wrong angle.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1348falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-log-two-words-and-a-raft-that-shouldn-t-have-survived--73079022
A single dry logbook was found a quarter mile from the water on wet pavement behind a gate locked since March fourth - it should not have been there, it should not have been dry, and it became the first clue in a search two hundred miles offshore. How did a meticulous captain's pencil log end up on land while her crew drifted in forty-one degree Pacific water, and what did that dry book really mean for the people still out there?

In this episode, you’ll hear the timeline of departures, the lone two-word radio transmission, the discovery at Kellerman Municipal Marina, and the few concrete details that shaped the search; what does that sequence of small facts tell us about who survived and who didn’t?

Person: Rhonda Gardner
Person: Phil Corso
Person: Marcus Webb
Event: Radio transmission "Taking water"
Location: Kellerman Municipal Marina

- Time of discovery: 6:20 AM on March 11, logbook found on access road
- Departure: Marta Sue left Crestfall at 5:40 AM on March 4 bound for Tillamook Shelf (~200 miles offshore)
- Impact: Vessel struck something beneath the surface at noon on March 7, causing hull breach on starboard bow
- Final transmission: At 2:20 PM on March 7 a handheld radio sent "Taking water" then static
- Water temperature the night of the sinking: 41 degrees Fahrenheit

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079022Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:54 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Log, Two Words, and a Raft That Shouldn't Have Survived A single dry logbook was found a quarter mile from the water on wet pavement behind a gate locked since March fourth - it should not have been there, it should not have been dry, and it...
A single dry logbook was found a quarter mile from the water on wet pavement behind a gate locked since March fourth - it should not have been there, it should not have been dry, and it became the first clue in a search two hundred miles offshore. How did a meticulous captain's pencil log end up on land while her crew drifted in forty-one degree Pacific water, and what did that dry book really mean for the people still out there?

In this episode, you’ll hear the timeline of departures, the lone two-word radio transmission, the discovery at Kellerman Municipal Marina, and the few concrete details that shaped the search; what does that sequence of small facts tell us about who survived and who didn’t?

Person: Rhonda Gardner
Person: Phil Corso
Person: Marcus Webb
Event: Radio transmission "Taking water"
Location: Kellerman Municipal Marina

- Time of discovery: 6:20 AM on March 11, logbook found on access road
- Departure: Marta Sue left Crestfall at 5:40 AM on March 4 bound for Tillamook Shelf (~200 miles offshore)
- Impact: Vessel struck something beneath the surface at noon on March 7, causing hull breach on starboard bow
- Final transmission: At 2:20 PM on March 7 a handheld radio sent "Taking water" then static
- Water temperature the night of the sinking: 41 degrees Fahrenheit

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1197falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/found-14-hours-after-search-stopped-the-girl-the-compass-the-watch--73079021
The most terrifying fact: Paula Davis spent eighty-six hours in the Gulf with a compass on her belt and a thirty-two-dollar watch on her wrist while the Coast Guard had already suspended the search fourteen hours earlier. Her waterproof study bag held her captain's license materials, the ship's EPIRB had a faulty hydrostatic release, and the AIS had been broadcasting a cached position-so how did one young crew member survive when every system meant to find her failed?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to discovery, tracing the failed emergency systems, the Halcyon Star's capsize in twelve to fourteen foot seas, and Paula's survival strategy that depended on a Seiko 5 and a handheld compass. How did routine gear, human decisions, and small errors conspire to leave Paula alone and unsearchable in the wrong patch of ocean?

Person: Paula Davis
Age: 22
Vessel: Halcyon Star, 62-foot converted offshore utility boat
Event: Capesize and inversion in the night of February 7
Duration afloat: Paula spent 86 hours in the Gulf; search had been suspended 14 hours before discovery

- The watch on Paula's wrist was a Seiko 5 automatic bought secondhand for $32.
- The EPIRB hydrostatic release had been replaced 14 months earlier with a unit 1 millimeter outside specification.
- The AIS transponder's last transmission was at 23:47 on February 6 showing a cached position 14 miles northeast of the vessel's actual location.
- The breaking sea that rolled the Halcyon Star was estimated at 12 to 14 feet high between 2 and 3 a.m, on February 7.
- Paula climbed onto the exposed keel of the inverted hull and used a cycle of 5 minutes movement and 25 minutes rest measured with her watch.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079021Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:50 +0000Creator at ObomediaFound 14 Hours After Search Stopped: The Girl, The Compass, The Watch The most terrifying fact: Paula Davis spent eighty-six hours in the Gulf with a compass on her belt and a thirty-two-dollar watch on her wrist while the Coast Guard had already...
The most terrifying fact: Paula Davis spent eighty-six hours in the Gulf with a compass on her belt and a thirty-two-dollar watch on her wrist while the Coast Guard had already suspended the search fourteen hours earlier. Her waterproof study bag held her captain's license materials, the ship's EPIRB had a faulty hydrostatic release, and the AIS had been broadcasting a cached position-so how did one young crew member survive when every system meant to find her failed?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to discovery, tracing the failed emergency systems, the Halcyon Star's capsize in twelve to fourteen foot seas, and Paula's survival strategy that depended on a Seiko 5 and a handheld compass. How did routine gear, human decisions, and small errors conspire to leave Paula alone and unsearchable in the wrong patch of ocean?

Person: Paula Davis
Age: 22
Vessel: Halcyon Star, 62-foot converted offshore utility boat
Event: Capesize and inversion in the night of February 7
Duration afloat: Paula spent 86 hours in the Gulf; search had been suspended 14 hours before discovery

- The watch on Paula's wrist was a Seiko 5 automatic bought secondhand for $32.
- The EPIRB hydrostatic release had been replaced 14 months earlier with a unit 1 millimeter outside specification.
- The AIS transponder's last transmission was at 23:47 on February 6 showing a cached position 14 miles northeast of the vessel's actual location.
- The breaking sea that rolled the Halcyon Star was estimated at 12 to 14 feet high between 2 and 3 a.m, on February 7.
- Paula climbed onto the exposed keel of the inverted hull and used a cycle of 5 minutes movement and 25 minutes rest measured with her watch.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1112falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-raft-the-tape-and-the-woman-who-cut-the-line--73079020
A mast punched through the coachroof at 01:06 on January 5, 2019, plunging the Pelorus into total electrical failure and forcing three sailors into a six-person life raft; two were found alive four days later, forty-one miles east of the search area, while the third vanished with only a fragment of fleece left behind. A backup VHF washed ashore sixty nautical miles from the dismasting with fresh sticky orange electrical tape still wrapped around it-how did tape survive the open ocean and who decided to cut the painter that saved two lives but cost one?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment the upper starboard shroud fitting failed through the early decisions made in the darkness, and we trace the radio, the life raft, and the single cut line that shaped the outcome. What do the raft's equipment, the radio's condition, and a piece of fleece tell us about those final chaotic minutes?

Person: Tracy Callahan
Person: Luis Vega
Person: Patricia Sims
Event: Mast failure and total electrical loss at 01:06 on January 5, 2019
Distance: Survivors found drifting 41 miles east of search area

- Mast failure occurred at 01:06 on January 5, 2019 in forty-knot gusts and ten-foot seas.
- The Pelorus was sixty nautical miles offshore when the mast fell.
- The life raft deployed was a six-person canister raft; investigators found evidence of a clean cut on the painter line.
- Two people were found alive in the life raft four days after the dismasting.
- A backup VHF radio drifted sixty nautical miles and was found at a pier piling with fresh orange electrical tape still sticky around it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079020Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:47 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Raft, the Tape, and the Woman Who Cut the Line A mast punched through the coachroof at 01:06 on January 5, 2019, plunging the Pelorus into total electrical failure and forcing three sailors into a six-person life raft; two were found alive four...
A mast punched through the coachroof at 01:06 on January 5, 2019, plunging the Pelorus into total electrical failure and forcing three sailors into a six-person life raft; two were found alive four days later, forty-one miles east of the search area, while the third vanished with only a fragment of fleece left behind. A backup VHF washed ashore sixty nautical miles from the dismasting with fresh sticky orange electrical tape still wrapped around it-how did tape survive the open ocean and who decided to cut the painter that saved two lives but cost one?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment the upper starboard shroud fitting failed through the early decisions made in the darkness, and we trace the radio, the life raft, and the single cut line that shaped the outcome. What do the raft's equipment, the radio's condition, and a piece of fleece tell us about those final chaotic minutes?

Person: Tracy Callahan
Person: Luis Vega
Person: Patricia Sims
Event: Mast failure and total electrical loss at 01:06 on January 5, 2019
Distance: Survivors found drifting 41 miles east of search area

- Mast failure occurred at 01:06 on January 5, 2019 in forty-knot gusts and ten-foot seas.
- The Pelorus was sixty nautical miles offshore when the mast fell.
- The life raft deployed was a six-person canister raft; investigators found evidence of a clean cut on the painter line.
- Two people were found alive in the life raft four days after the dismasting.
- A backup VHF radio drifted sixty nautical miles and was found at a pier piling with fresh orange electrical tape still sticky around it.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1133falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-bag-that-came-home-mystery-of-the-vanishing-maren-elise--73079019
The chill of an uncharted current and a red dry-bag returned to its own dock: the sight of a laminated crew manifest in a dry, undamaged bag raises the single haunting question-where did the Maren Elise go and were its three crewmen ever seen again? This episode centers on that impossible object and the one unresolved disappearance it seems to answer and yet deepens.

In this episode, we walk through the moments before and after the Maren Elise vanished: the routine habit that kept a laminated manifest in a red dry-bag, the vessel’s last confirmed sighting at 7:02 AM, the engine failures that left the boat dead in an uncharted current, and the dry-bag’s return to the Kellport dock-so how could the bag come back without the boat?

Person: Frances Collins
Date: December 1, 2011
Location: Kellport and the open channel northeast of Kellport
Vessel: Maren Elise
Crew: Frances Collins (61), Marcus Teel (32), Patrick Teel (29)

- A red roll-top dry-bag the size of a shoe box was found on December 12, 2011, dry inside and containing a laminated crew manifest.
- The Maren Elise was last seen from Camas Island at approximately 7:02 AM on December 1, 2011, crossing the breakwater outbound.
- At 7:15 AM, the port engine lost power suddenly due to a fractured fuel line fitting flagged eight months earlier but never replaced.
- The starboard engine ran alone for 72 minutes before overheating and seizing at approximately 8:27 AM, leaving the vessel without propulsion.
- Frances Collins had completed 260 crossings on the Camas Island run over seven years with no recorded incident prior to this disappearance.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079019Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:44 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Bag That Came Home: Mystery of the Vanishing Maren Elise The chill of an uncharted current and a red dry-bag returned to its own dock: the sight of a laminated crew manifest in a dry, undamaged bag raises the single haunting question-where...
The chill of an uncharted current and a red dry-bag returned to its own dock: the sight of a laminated crew manifest in a dry, undamaged bag raises the single haunting question-where did the Maren Elise go and were its three crewmen ever seen again? This episode centers on that impossible object and the one unresolved disappearance it seems to answer and yet deepens.

In this episode, we walk through the moments before and after the Maren Elise vanished: the routine habit that kept a laminated manifest in a red dry-bag, the vessel’s last confirmed sighting at 7:02 AM, the engine failures that left the boat dead in an uncharted current, and the dry-bag’s return to the Kellport dock-so how could the bag come back without the boat?

Person: Frances Collins
Date: December 1, 2011
Location: Kellport and the open channel northeast of Kellport
Vessel: Maren Elise
Crew: Frances Collins (61), Marcus Teel (32), Patrick Teel (29)

- A red roll-top dry-bag the size of a shoe box was found on December 12, 2011, dry inside and containing a laminated crew manifest.
- The Maren Elise was last seen from Camas Island at approximately 7:02 AM on December 1, 2011, crossing the breakwater outbound.
- At 7:15 AM, the port engine lost power suddenly due to a fractured fuel line fitting flagged eight months earlier but never replaced.
- The starboard engine ran alone for 72 minutes before overheating and seizing at approximately 8:27 AM, leaving the vessel without propulsion.
- Frances Collins had completed 260 crossings on the Camas Island run over seven years with no recorded incident prior to this disappearance.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1208falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/un-objeto-imposible-en-una-roca-imposible-quien-lo-puso-ahi-y-como--73079018
A flare canister sat upright on a flat-topped basalt ledge eight feet above the high-tide line, its label facing the road as if someone had placed it there - and nothing in the tide, the vertical cliff, or the empty water below could have put it there. Who left a sealed note addressed to Rhonda Peterson in that canister, dated "day eleven," when Rhonda had been warm for hours by the time it was found?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from departure to discovery: the November 19, 2011 walk that found the canister, Rhonda Peterson's eleven-week life on Adak Island, the Harlow Bay sinking, and the bureaucratic misrouting of an EPIRB signal that sent initial searches six hundred miles away - all pointing toward one unresolved question about how that note arrived.

Date: November 19, 2011
Person: Rhonda Peterson
Location: Adak Island
Vessel: Harlow Bay (28-foot aluminum hull)
Temperature: 41 degrees Fahrenheit

- A volunteer named Kelly York found the orange flare canister on a gravel road on the western edge of Adak Island.
- The canister sat upright on a flat-topped rock eight feet above the highest tide line with its printed label facing the road.
- Inside the canister was a sealed note with the name "Rhonda Peterson" and the date "day eleven."
- The Harlow Bay sank at 11:23 AM after a 19-foot wave dislodged a winch and opened a six-inch fracture below the waterline.
- The EPIRB signal from Rhonda's raft reached a Coast Guard relay station four minutes after the sinking but was routed six hundred miles away because the vessel's registration still listed its former homeport.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079018Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:40 +0000Creator at ObomediaUn objeto imposible en una roca imposible: ¿quién lo puso ahí y cómo? A flare canister sat upright on a flat-topped basalt ledge eight feet above the high-tide line, its label facing the road as if someone had placed it there - and nothing in the...
A flare canister sat upright on a flat-topped basalt ledge eight feet above the high-tide line, its label facing the road as if someone had placed it there - and nothing in the tide, the vertical cliff, or the empty water below could have put it there. Who left a sealed note addressed to Rhonda Peterson in that canister, dated "day eleven," when Rhonda had been warm for hours by the time it was found?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from departure to discovery: the November 19, 2011 walk that found the canister, Rhonda Peterson's eleven-week life on Adak Island, the Harlow Bay sinking, and the bureaucratic misrouting of an EPIRB signal that sent initial searches six hundred miles away - all pointing toward one unresolved question about how that note arrived.

Date: November 19, 2011
Person: Rhonda Peterson
Location: Adak Island
Vessel: Harlow Bay (28-foot aluminum hull)
Temperature: 41 degrees Fahrenheit

- A volunteer named Kelly York found the orange flare canister on a gravel road on the western edge of Adak Island.
- The canister sat upright on a flat-topped rock eight feet above the highest tide line with its printed label facing the road.
- Inside the canister was a sealed note with the name "Rhonda Peterson" and the date "day eleven."
- The Harlow Bay sank at 11:23 AM after a 19-foot wave dislodged a winch and opened a six-inch fracture below the waterline.
- The EPIRB signal from Rhonda's raft reached a Coast Guard relay station four minutes after the sinking but was routed six hundred miles away because the vessel's registration still listed its former homeport.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1286falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-notebook-that-drifted-in-while-she-survived-seventeen-days-at-sea--73079017
A yellow legal notepad sealed in ziplock bags washed ashore after six weeks in the Pacific, even though its owner had already been plucked from a life raft after seventeen days alone at sea. How did a functioning EPIRB point rescuers forty miles from her actual position and leave a survivor talking to blue sharks until help arrived?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a clear October morning at Pratt's Landing to a semi-submerged shipping container strike sixty miles offshore, tracing the thirteen-day search in the wrong location and the four months it took to reconstruct what happened. Can a drifting notebook and one woman's meticulous records explain how the rescue system nearly failed?

Person: Debra White
Date: October 3 (departure), October 6 (strike), October 19 (notebook found)
Location: Pratt's Landing, Oregon; approximately sixty miles offshore west of Cape Septum
Status: Rescued after seventeen days at sea; notebook found six weeks later
Object: Yellow legal notepad sealed in two layered ziplock bags

- Debra White left Pratt's Landing on October 3 and was last seen by a mechanic named Hank Ferris waving as she passed the dock.
- The Aven Reach struck a semi-submerged shipping container on October 6 at 15:14 and sank within twenty minutes after the mast came down.
- Debra activated her EPIRB at 15:14, which transmitted a position roughly forty miles from her actual location and led searchers to the wrong quadrant.
- Search assets spent three days working the incorrect coordinates before the search was suspended on October 9 and the case was registered as a probable fatality.
- On November 19, Bob Chestnut found the salt-crusted yellow notepad wedged in a crevice above a tidal cave near Harlan's Ferry after it had floated in the Pacific for six weeks.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079017Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:37 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Notebook That Drifted In While She Survived Seventeen Days at Sea A yellow legal notepad sealed in ziplock bags washed ashore after six weeks in the Pacific, even though its owner had already been plucked from a life raft after seventeen days...
A yellow legal notepad sealed in ziplock bags washed ashore after six weeks in the Pacific, even though its owner had already been plucked from a life raft after seventeen days alone at sea. How did a functioning EPIRB point rescuers forty miles from her actual position and leave a survivor talking to blue sharks until help arrived?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a clear October morning at Pratt's Landing to a semi-submerged shipping container strike sixty miles offshore, tracing the thirteen-day search in the wrong location and the four months it took to reconstruct what happened. Can a drifting notebook and one woman's meticulous records explain how the rescue system nearly failed?

Person: Debra White
Date: October 3 (departure), October 6 (strike), October 19 (notebook found)
Location: Pratt's Landing, Oregon; approximately sixty miles offshore west of Cape Septum
Status: Rescued after seventeen days at sea; notebook found six weeks later
Object: Yellow legal notepad sealed in two layered ziplock bags

- Debra White left Pratt's Landing on October 3 and was last seen by a mechanic named Hank Ferris waving as she passed the dock.
- The Aven Reach struck a semi-submerged shipping container on October 6 at 15:14 and sank within twenty minutes after the mast came down.
- Debra activated her EPIRB at 15:14, which transmitted a position roughly forty miles from her actual location and led searchers to the wrong quadrant.
- Search assets spent three days working the incorrect coordinates before the search was suspended on October 9 and the case was registered as a probable fatality.
- On November 19, Bob Chestnut found the salt-crusted yellow notepad wedged in a crevice above a tidal cave near Harlan's Ferry after it had floated in the Pacific for six weeks.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1144falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-counted-five-days-the-glove-that-crossed-the-ocean--73079016
A single glove dragged from four feet of brackish water contained a scrap of foil with a partial thumbprint and five tally marks - a woman’s deliberate record of surviving five days at sea. The glove traveled forty-two miles from a forty-one-foot sloop where two men died and one woman endured alone; how did her scrap of foil make it ashore when so much else was lost?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events aboard the Pelargic from departure to rescue, following the decisions, equipment, and storm that left one survivor clinging to life and a glove to be found; what choices on board set the course for that outcome?

Person: Rebecca O'Brien
Vessel: Pelargic
Date: September 9-18 (incident began September 9; rescue September 18 at 08:52)
Location: ninety miles east of Cape Hatteras; glove found eight miles from the open sound
Condition: survivor core temperature 94.3°F; woman alone for 5 days 18 hours

- The glove was pulled from four feet of brackish water at 6:14 AM on a Tuesday in September.
- The foil inside the glove bore a partial thumbprint and five tally marks pressed into the surface.
- The Pelargic was a forty-one-foot sloop registered in Beaufort, North Carolina.
- A wave estimated at 22 feet struck the vessel at 2:17 AM on September 12, causing the mast to come down.
- The Coast Guard HC-130 spotted the sloop at 8:52 AM on September 18; a rescue swimmer entered the water at 9:15 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079016Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:33 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Counted Five Days: The Glove That Crossed the Ocean A single glove dragged from four feet of brackish water contained a scrap of foil with a partial thumbprint and five tally marks - a woman’s deliberate record of surviving five days at sea....
A single glove dragged from four feet of brackish water contained a scrap of foil with a partial thumbprint and five tally marks - a woman’s deliberate record of surviving five days at sea. The glove traveled forty-two miles from a forty-one-foot sloop where two men died and one woman endured alone; how did her scrap of foil make it ashore when so much else was lost?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events aboard the Pelargic from departure to rescue, following the decisions, equipment, and storm that left one survivor clinging to life and a glove to be found; what choices on board set the course for that outcome?

Person: Rebecca O'Brien
Vessel: Pelargic
Date: September 9-18 (incident began September 9; rescue September 18 at 08:52)
Location: ninety miles east of Cape Hatteras; glove found eight miles from the open sound
Condition: survivor core temperature 94.3°F; woman alone for 5 days 18 hours

- The glove was pulled from four feet of brackish water at 6:14 AM on a Tuesday in September.
- The foil inside the glove bore a partial thumbprint and five tally marks pressed into the surface.
- The Pelargic was a forty-one-foot sloop registered in Beaufort, North Carolina.
- A wave estimated at 22 feet struck the vessel at 2:17 AM on September 12, causing the mast to come down.
- The Coast Guard HC-130 spotted the sloop at 8:52 AM on September 18; a rescue swimmer entered the water at 9:15 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1064falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-nailed-a-child-s-shoe-to-a-buoy-11-days-alone-at-sea--73079015
The Gulf kept a strange souvenir: a white size four child's shoe with a cartoon anchor nailed to a navigation buoy - placed there deliberately by a woman who spent eleven days alone at sea. Hear how a three-second EPIRB burst, an eleven-minute timestamp error, and a missing mast turned a routine voyage into a drifting puzzle that left rescue teams looking in the wrong place. How did Denise Donnelly survive long enough to make that message?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from departure in Houma, Louisiana, through the rig failure and partial EPIRB signal, to the discovery of the shoe on a buoy - and the unanswered question of how those eleven minutes reshaped the search.

Person: Denise Donnelly
Person: Clara (nine-year-old)
Location: Houma, Louisiana
Event: Mast failure on August 8
Duration: Eleven days alone at sea

- Departure date: July 28 from Houma, Louisiana bound for Key West.
- Rig failure: chainplate gave way at approximately 3:00 AM in 38-knot sustained winds with gusts to 45.
- EPIRB transmission: partial burst lasting three seconds with a timestamp eleven minutes off.
- Debris report: on day five a shrimping vessel reported floating debris 31 miles southwest of the Coast Guard search zone.
- Discovered shoe: found nailed to a buoy at 9:41 AM on August 22; white, size four, with a cartoon anchor on the heel.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079015Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:30 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Nailed a Child's Shoe to a Buoy - 11 Days Alone at Sea The Gulf kept a strange souvenir: a white size four child's shoe with a cartoon anchor nailed to a navigation buoy - placed there deliberately by a woman who spent eleven days alone at sea....
The Gulf kept a strange souvenir: a white size four child's shoe with a cartoon anchor nailed to a navigation buoy - placed there deliberately by a woman who spent eleven days alone at sea. Hear how a three-second EPIRB burst, an eleven-minute timestamp error, and a missing mast turned a routine voyage into a drifting puzzle that left rescue teams looking in the wrong place. How did Denise Donnelly survive long enough to make that message?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from departure in Houma, Louisiana, through the rig failure and partial EPIRB signal, to the discovery of the shoe on a buoy - and the unanswered question of how those eleven minutes reshaped the search.

Person: Denise Donnelly
Person: Clara (nine-year-old)
Location: Houma, Louisiana
Event: Mast failure on August 8
Duration: Eleven days alone at sea

- Departure date: July 28 from Houma, Louisiana bound for Key West.
- Rig failure: chainplate gave way at approximately 3:00 AM in 38-knot sustained winds with gusts to 45.
- EPIRB transmission: partial burst lasting three seconds with a timestamp eleven minutes off.
- Debris report: on day five a shrimping vessel reported floating debris 31 miles southwest of the Coast Guard search zone.
- Discovered shoe: found nailed to a buoy at 9:41 AM on August 22; white, size four, with a cartoon anchor on the heel.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1178falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-beacon-that-pointed-away-how-one-epirb-sent-rescuers-chasing-the-wrong-boat--73079014
A single bright orange EPIRB, crusted in salt and found dry on a marina shelf, sent a ten-day rescue effort after the wrong vessel - while its owner drifted injured and thirsty 60 miles offshore. How did a routine beacon test, two ownership transfers, and a mismatched registration turn a lifesaving device into a misdirection that closed a search within 39 minutes?

In this episode, we tell how events unfolded from departure to signal closure, tracing the actions, paperwork, and timing that left one man alone at sea with two cracked ribs and dwindling water - and ask whether the system could have recognized the beacon’s true origin sooner.

Person: Ralph Mitchell
Date: July 9-21, 2019
Location: Beaufort, South Carolina to east of Cape Lookout
Device: EPIRB registered to Cadie Lou in federal database
Rescue Coordinator: April Underwood

- The EPIRB was activated at 3:17 PM on July 11 after the mast came down and injured Ralph Mitchell.
- The Rescue Coordination Center received the beacon signal at 3:41 PM, 24 minutes after activation.
- April Underwood closed the case at 4:20 PM after confirming the registered vessel, Cadie Lou, was at its slip in Chesapeake, Virginia.
- Ralph Mitchell had been at sea since July 9 and by day five had run out of drinking water.
- The beacon’s registration had been linked to a different boat after two ownership transfers and retained the original documentation number.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079014Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:27 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Beacon That Pointed Away: How One EPIRB Sent Rescuers Chasing the Wrong Boat A single bright orange EPIRB, crusted in salt and found dry on a marina shelf, sent a ten-day rescue effort after the wrong vessel - while its owner drifted injured...
A single bright orange EPIRB, crusted in salt and found dry on a marina shelf, sent a ten-day rescue effort after the wrong vessel - while its owner drifted injured and thirsty 60 miles offshore. How did a routine beacon test, two ownership transfers, and a mismatched registration turn a lifesaving device into a misdirection that closed a search within 39 minutes?

In this episode, we tell how events unfolded from departure to signal closure, tracing the actions, paperwork, and timing that left one man alone at sea with two cracked ribs and dwindling water - and ask whether the system could have recognized the beacon’s true origin sooner.

Person: Ralph Mitchell
Date: July 9-21, 2019
Location: Beaufort, South Carolina to east of Cape Lookout
Device: EPIRB registered to Cadie Lou in federal database
Rescue Coordinator: April Underwood

- The EPIRB was activated at 3:17 PM on July 11 after the mast came down and injured Ralph Mitchell.
- The Rescue Coordination Center received the beacon signal at 3:41 PM, 24 minutes after activation.
- April Underwood closed the case at 4:20 PM after confirming the registered vessel, Cadie Lou, was at its slip in Chesapeake, Virginia.
- Ralph Mitchell had been at sea since July 9 and by day five had run out of drinking water.
- The beacon’s registration had been linked to a different boat after two ownership transfers and retained the original documentation number.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1046falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-kelp-line-and-the-woman-who-smelled-land-in-nightmares--73079013
The ocean stripped away a mast, two lives, and six days of certainty - but one woman survived with no radio, no working phone, no food, and a smell she learned at eight that pointed toward shore. How did a functioning EPIRB send rescuers forty miles the wrong way, and how did a childhood scent and an unmodeled current combine to keep Nicole Cook alive long enough to be seen from an Oregon cliff?

In this episode, we tell the events from the night the Wren sank to the morning a birdwatcher spotted a woman in safety orange, laying out the equipment, decisions, and instincts involved. What do the beacon registration, the unexpected current, and a kelp-smell navigation method reveal when seen together?

Person: Nicole Cook
Event: Sinking of the Wren
Date: June 7-8, 2022
Location: North Pacific off Washington coast
Item: EPIRB registered to Coos Bay

- At 11:47 PM on June 7, 2022, the forestay snapped and the mast of the 42-foot Wren fell into 53-degree water.
- By sunrise the next day one person was missing; by the following sunrise a second person was dead.
- Nicole Cook survived six days in an open-ocean life raft with no radio, no working phone, and no food.
- The EPIRB activated as the Wren sank but, because it was registered with Coos Bay as the home port, search models sent rescuers approximately 40 miles south.
- Nicole had learned at age eight to use the smell of kelp to identify the direction of land, a method she relied on during her time adrift.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079013Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:24 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Kelp Line and the Woman Who Smelled Land in Nightmares The ocean stripped away a mast, two lives, and six days of certainty - but one woman survived with no radio, no working phone, no food, and a smell she learned at eight that pointed toward...
The ocean stripped away a mast, two lives, and six days of certainty - but one woman survived with no radio, no working phone, no food, and a smell she learned at eight that pointed toward shore. How did a functioning EPIRB send rescuers forty miles the wrong way, and how did a childhood scent and an unmodeled current combine to keep Nicole Cook alive long enough to be seen from an Oregon cliff?

In this episode, we tell the events from the night the Wren sank to the morning a birdwatcher spotted a woman in safety orange, laying out the equipment, decisions, and instincts involved. What do the beacon registration, the unexpected current, and a kelp-smell navigation method reveal when seen together?

Person: Nicole Cook
Event: Sinking of the Wren
Date: June 7-8, 2022
Location: North Pacific off Washington coast
Item: EPIRB registered to Coos Bay

- At 11:47 PM on June 7, 2022, the forestay snapped and the mast of the 42-foot Wren fell into 53-degree water.
- By sunrise the next day one person was missing; by the following sunrise a second person was dead.
- Nicole Cook survived six days in an open-ocean life raft with no radio, no working phone, and no food.
- The EPIRB activated as the Wren sank but, because it was registered with Coos Bay as the home port, search models sent rescuers approximately 40 miles south.
- Nicole had learned at age eight to use the smell of kelp to identify the direction of land, a method she relied on during her time adrift.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1020falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-logbook-on-wet-sand-how-a-mirror-saved-two-sailors--73079011
A dry logbook washed ashore on wet sand at Kellner Cove, untouched by a cautious sixteen-year-old who called the harbor master - a single detail that took investigators eleven days to explain. Two sailors had spent six days on an empty life raft before a hand-held mirror’s reflection alerted a bulk carrier; how did a mirror become the only thing standing between being rescued and being lost at sea?

In this episode, you’ll hear the full sequence of events from the parking lot of a Pensacola diner to the Gulf shipping lane, including the preparations, the unexpected storm, the failed storm anchor, and the signal that changed everything: could a small mirror and a dry logbook really hold the answers?

Person: April Reed
Person: Pete Sorensen
Date: May 3-12, 2022
Location: Kellner Cove; central Gulf of Mexico; Corpus Christi (passage)
Event: Life raft drift and six-day survival leading to rescue

- The logbook was found dry on May 12 at 5:47 a.m. by 16-year-old Michael Duncan on a sandbar at Kellner Cove.
- April Reed had logged more than 40,000 nautical miles and kept a ditch bag with two liters of water, six days of rations, a signal mirror, and an EPIRB.
- The Ariel B is a 43-foot sloop-rigged cutter built in 1989 with standing rigging replaced 18 months before departure.
- At 2:00 a.m. on May 6, April deployed 300 feet of rode for a storm anchor; by 5:50 a.m. the rode had chafed through and parted.
- A bulk carrier detected a reflection from a hand-held mirror while transiting the Gulf shipping lane at 13 knots on the sixth day.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079011Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:21 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Logbook on Wet Sand: How a Mirror Saved Two Sailors A dry logbook washed ashore on wet sand at Kellner Cove, untouched by a cautious sixteen-year-old who called the harbor master - a single detail that took investigators eleven days to explain....
A dry logbook washed ashore on wet sand at Kellner Cove, untouched by a cautious sixteen-year-old who called the harbor master - a single detail that took investigators eleven days to explain. Two sailors had spent six days on an empty life raft before a hand-held mirror’s reflection alerted a bulk carrier; how did a mirror become the only thing standing between being rescued and being lost at sea?

In this episode, you’ll hear the full sequence of events from the parking lot of a Pensacola diner to the Gulf shipping lane, including the preparations, the unexpected storm, the failed storm anchor, and the signal that changed everything: could a small mirror and a dry logbook really hold the answers?

Person: April Reed
Person: Pete Sorensen
Date: May 3-12, 2022
Location: Kellner Cove; central Gulf of Mexico; Corpus Christi (passage)
Event: Life raft drift and six-day survival leading to rescue

- The logbook was found dry on May 12 at 5:47 a.m. by 16-year-old Michael Duncan on a sandbar at Kellner Cove.
- April Reed had logged more than 40,000 nautical miles and kept a ditch bag with two liters of water, six days of rations, a signal mirror, and an EPIRB.
- The Ariel B is a 43-foot sloop-rigged cutter built in 1989 with standing rigging replaced 18 months before departure.
- At 2:00 a.m. on May 6, April deployed 300 feet of rode for a storm anchor; by 5:50 a.m. the rode had chafed through and parted.
- A bulk carrier detected a reflection from a hand-held mirror while transiting the Gulf shipping lane at 13 knots on the sixth day.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1253falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/warm-soup-empty-helm-how-crystal-survived-eleven-days-adrift--73079009
Warm soup on a cabin table stopped a rescuer cold: a bowl of tomato soup, a spoon on the rim, and the engine idling on a drifting sloop four miles off Rockaway Beach - how did a twenty-three-year-old sailor vanish from a boat that looked otherwise untouched? Who left a warm bowl behind, and where was Crystal Andrews?

In this episode, we tell the story of what followed that single unsettling detail. You will hear how Crystal prepared, what was found aboard the Meridian Star, and the question that drove an eleven-day search: could someone survive long enough at sea after disappearing from a boat that still had its lights on and its radio tuned to the distress channel?

Person: Crystal Andrews
Location: Meridian Star (31-foot sloop) four miles off Rockaway Beach
Date: April 9, 2019
Origin: Garibaldi, Oregon
Gear: Switlik inflatable life raft, 2 liters water, 4 protein bars, 1 handheld flare

- Crystal had logged more than 200 hours aboard small vessels before April 2019.
- The Meridian Star was a 31-foot fiberglass sloop bought for $11,000 with a keel tension crack Crystal repaired over four months.
- Crystal packed a life raft with 2 liters of water, 4 protein bars, a signal mirror, a whistle, one handheld flare, and a manual bailer.
- The diesel tank on the Meridian Star read three-quarters full and the fuel capacity was 25 gallons.
- At 6:40 a.m. on April 9, 2019, Tom Garrett boarded the drifting Meridian Star and found a warm bowl of tomato soup on the cabin table.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079009Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:17 +0000Creator at ObomediaWarm Soup, Empty Helm: How Crystal Survived Eleven Days Adrift Warm soup on a cabin table stopped a rescuer cold: a bowl of tomato soup, a spoon on the rim, and the engine idling on a drifting sloop four miles off Rockaway Beach - how did a...
Warm soup on a cabin table stopped a rescuer cold: a bowl of tomato soup, a spoon on the rim, and the engine idling on a drifting sloop four miles off Rockaway Beach - how did a twenty-three-year-old sailor vanish from a boat that looked otherwise untouched? Who left a warm bowl behind, and where was Crystal Andrews?

In this episode, we tell the story of what followed that single unsettling detail. You will hear how Crystal prepared, what was found aboard the Meridian Star, and the question that drove an eleven-day search: could someone survive long enough at sea after disappearing from a boat that still had its lights on and its radio tuned to the distress channel?

Person: Crystal Andrews
Location: Meridian Star (31-foot sloop) four miles off Rockaway Beach
Date: April 9, 2019
Origin: Garibaldi, Oregon
Gear: Switlik inflatable life raft, 2 liters water, 4 protein bars, 1 handheld flare

- Crystal had logged more than 200 hours aboard small vessels before April 2019.
- The Meridian Star was a 31-foot fiberglass sloop bought for $11,000 with a keel tension crack Crystal repaired over four months.
- Crystal packed a life raft with 2 liters of water, 4 protein bars, a signal mirror, a whistle, one handheld flare, and a manual bailer.
- The diesel tank on the Meridian Star read three-quarters full and the fuel capacity was 25 gallons.
- At 6:40 a.m. on April 9, 2019, Tom Garrett boarded the drifting Meridian Star and found a warm bowl of tomato soup on the cabin table.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1157falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/lost-at-night-how-a-cat-and-a-tide-table-found-her--73079008
A vanished sailor, a frantic midnight storm and a laminated card that appeared half a mile from where it should have been - a retired schoolteacher's cat and a tide table would later force the Coast Guard to reopen a closed file. How did a diabetic cat named Stoker and a scrap of paper become the only threads leading back to Frances Hayes?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine coastal passage that turned catastrophic during a sudden March storm, through the emergency beacons that registered at 3:00 a.m., to the small, unexpected clues that changed a search's course - could a neighborhood cat really be the key to finding what the system missed?

Person: Frances Hayes
Person: Marcus Webb
Person: Person: Kevin Aldridge
Person: Person: Terry Aldridge
Date: March 5-6

- Frances Hayes was 38 years old and had roughly 40 hours of sailing experience.
- The forestay parted just after midnight when winds rose from 12 to gusts of 50 knots.
- Marcus Webb owned a 32-foot sloop and held a coastal captain's license for nine years.
- Two EPIRB signals were received at the Coast Guard coordination center in Wilmington eleven minutes apart, arriving by 3:00 a.m.
- Donna Pressly, a retired schoolteacher in her sixties, had a key and instructions to care for Frances's diabetic cat, Stoker.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73079008Tue, 21 Jul 2026 02:40:13 +0000Creator at ObomediaLost at Night: How a Cat and a Tide Table Found Her A vanished sailor, a frantic midnight storm and a laminated card that appeared half a mile from where it should have been - a retired schoolteacher's cat and a tide table would later force the...
A vanished sailor, a frantic midnight storm and a laminated card that appeared half a mile from where it should have been - a retired schoolteacher's cat and a tide table would later force the Coast Guard to reopen a closed file. How did a diabetic cat named Stoker and a scrap of paper become the only threads leading back to Frances Hayes?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a routine coastal passage that turned catastrophic during a sudden March storm, through the emergency beacons that registered at 3:00 a.m., to the small, unexpected clues that changed a search's course - could a neighborhood cat really be the key to finding what the system missed?

Person: Frances Hayes
Person: Marcus Webb
Person: Person: Kevin Aldridge
Person: Person: Terry Aldridge
Date: March 5-6

- Frances Hayes was 38 years old and had roughly 40 hours of sailing experience.
- The forestay parted just after midnight when winds rose from 12 to gusts of 50 knots.
- Marcus Webb owned a 32-foot sloop and held a coastal captain's license for nine years.
- Two EPIRB signals were received at the Coast Guard coordination center in Wilmington eleven minutes apart, arriving by 3:00 a.m.
- Donna Pressly, a retired schoolteacher in her sixties, had a key and instructions to care for Frances's diabetic cat, Stoker.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1099falsefull