1 dead, 8 missing after fishing boat capsizes off Mexico

One person was reported dead and eight others were missing Monday after a fishing boat carrying 27 U.S. tourists and 17 Mexican crew members capsized in rough seas in the Gulf of California, officials said.

The tourists, most of them from California, were aboard the charter vessel Erik when a storm suddenly struck about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, hurling people into the water off San Luis Island, about 60 miles south of the Baja California port of San Felipe, the Mexican navy said.

"The weather was calm, and then a strong wind came," said Dora Winkler, a spokeswoman with the Port of San Felipe.

Richard Ciabattari, 62, was afloat for 12 hours before reaching the shore, said his wife, Jan Askew of Novato. He swam about eight miles and, unlike several others on the boat, was wearing a life jacket, she said.

Ciabattari, a part-time usher for the San Francisco Giants, was not supposed to go on the trip, but went for free after another passenger dropped out at the last minute.

"I just feel like we're very lucky," Askew said. "I'm glad he's a good fisherman and I'm glad he's a good swimmer."

Search operations were underway Monday as Mexican naval crews were joined by local fishing boats and a U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from San Diego, officials said. Searchers were scouring the waters around San Luis Island, about 200 miles southeast of San Diego.

Boehland said the Coast Guard was told by the Mexican navy that most of the passengers were from Northern California and that one was from Port Angeles, Wash......

It may not be the weight so much, but the added sail area created by the superstructure would make the boat vulnerable to heeling in a strong beam wind.

Add in slack tanks and free surface effect and the effect is to reduce the GM and righting moment, and very rapidly the boat could submerge the deck edge, with resultant down flooding through open vents and hatches.

Where are the life rafts in that photo? Where were the lifejackets stored?

Fregards, 3/M

I just got back from church and hear the most awful story.

One of our neighbors was on that cruise and he said the experience was horrible. What’s worse is that Senator Dianne Feinstein is actively working to suppress the truth about what happened on that cruise. Here’s what Feinstein does not want anyone to know:

1. The Mexican government initially refused to let the American victims return home unless they signed an ‘official report’ that made the Mexican crew of the sunken ship look like heroes.

2. Only two of the eight pengas (dories) aboard the ship were afloat after the ship went down and that’s only because they broke loose when the ship sunk.

3. The ship sunk in about thirty seconds, not ten minutes as some people are saying.

4. The Mexican crew made sure they had life vests and fought to steal a life vest from an American who had brought his own inflatable vest on the trip.

5. One of the pengas that was afloat after the sinking was reserved to the Mexicans. Only the Mexicans were allowed to be in the boat while the American passengers had to hang on the sides of the penga and tread water. Those Americans were reportedly sunburned with the skin on their legs and arms so chafed that they were bleeding and then their lips were consistently swollen from exposure to the salt water.

6. Searchers from the US who made their way to the scene had to bring their own fuel. The Mexican government did not provide any fuel for the search and went so far as to prohibit searchers from buying fuel at government gas stations.

7. Once rescued the Amercians received no help or assistance from the Mexican government. Local people did help them out and then fellow Americans and American rescuers helped bring the people back to the USA after the debacle with the police report was resolved.

8. All of the above is reportedly being suppressed by Senator Dianne Feinstein for ‘diplomatic reasons’. The American victims have been told not to speak of these things and I am posting this here in the hopes that the Pajama Army will help expose this disgusting act of cowardice on the part of the Mexican seamen and their criminal government.

Supposedly it’s some sort of diplomatic thing. Me, I think Feinstein doesn’t want to offend the millions of Mexicans in California who vote for her with ugly nasty things like the truth about what a cesspool Mexico is and what cowards were on that ship as crew. Imagine what the bad press will do to Mexican tourism?

To their credit, I will note that my friend has nothing but good things to say about the Mexican villagers who gave them food, shelter, and clothes after the tragedy.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.