"funny things" floating 20 miles E of Gibraltar

[Tetepare]

Originally Posted by siamese

I probably would have opened fire on them.

They certainly appear under-armed, but no doubt they have friends and have filed a float plan.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by SV DestinyAscen

Frogman training offshore.

Could well be, in Panama City if you see a moving float in the bay with a Military RIB following it, they would appreciate it if you stayed away.
The Military ( Navy, but they teach other branches like Army too) Scuba school is in PC and that moving float is attached to a submersible with students in it likely training on navigation

[Delancey]

Looks like empty stackable 5 gallon jugs. If they had something tied to the handles pulling them down they would be upside down instead of lying on their sides.

[Cotemar]

All the Jerry Cans are OPEN.

Are they trying to find out how big of a wave will sink them.

They may be watching for currents or wind drift.
.
.

[a64pilot]

I have seen a few experiments the Navy has run at PC that has to do with ultrasonics finding objects, it may be that they were trying to determine if something plastic that was just floating on the surface could be found, just one possibility

[fryewe]

Environmentally conscientious boaters out cleaning up floating plastic others have left adrift?

But perhaps I'm wrong...that red baseball cap sure looks like a "Make America Great Again" cap.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by siamese

I probably would have opened fire on them.

Good guys don't carry guns in Europe.

Pete

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by StuM

I detect a certain touch of innocence/naivete in some of the responses.

Is it possible that the unmarked, well equipped, very high powered RIB is retrieving items that have been dropped 20 miles off the coast of Europe by another boat, possibly from the African continent?

Yup. Looks like a smuggling op.

[Group9]

Those aren't drug bales and this is not a drug smuggling operation.. For one, they are floating too high out of the water. Cocaine and marijuana bales float much lower than that, especially cocaine. Two, they wouldn't leave them floating, they would be picking them up as quickly as possible. Three the aircraft won't leave until they see all of the bales picked up by the boat so they can't claim that one or more weren't retrieved.

I don't know what they are, but I know what they are not.

[MarkJ]

OK, so I zoomed in on the boat. 3 x 300+ Yamahas, radar and it's a RIB.
I White guy, 2 black, maybe a 4th guy.
Guy at the back holding a donut shaped orange something.
None of the crew are looking at you. If they were drugos they would be.




So Watson what do you deduce?

Long line boats don't use inflatables LOLOL plus there's no winches I can see.

3 outboards is acceptable for anyone doing anything out there 20 nmS off.

I take the point on the white drums not being tied by the handles unless it's light line. They look new.
* All the drum's handles are facing the same direction. They must therefore be attached to something to the left


I don't think it's drugs due to balance of probabilities.

I think, Sherlock, the mysterious orange bouy is the key, but I'm stuffed if I know what it is!

I think they are scientists doing some experiment.

[MarkJ]

This kinda thing perhaps?

[Captain Denis]

Report the sighting to the Coast Guards and clear out not towards land but towards open sea.

[martagc63]

Originally Posted by YesIsail

So that happened to me a couple of weeks ago.
I went close to the floating thingys to have a look and the speed boat on the image approached me right away and convinced me to keep sailing

what would you guys have done?

.

Keep on sailing. You have been very lucky, they are drug dealers.

[skipper53]

Military exercise or smuggling operation. Look and demeanor of the folks who told you to keep going might be the clue. That you are still alive suggests military.

[Chkm8]

Hi Topmast, lived in Nanaimo for long Commercial fished out of there how are things there I live in Belize these days Paul