Sailor Lost; 406 EPIRB Activated 30nm N of Key West

[Geoduck]

It's the Bermuda Triangle, folks!
I'm still wondering whatever happened to my old buddy - Paul Kelsey - 30 years ago!
Hope we have a happy ending....
Good luck Jay.

[Capt Phil]

Just ran across the thread... what a tragedy! Sounds like a really good soul who touched many folks whose paths he crossed. As mariners all, we can only hope for the best possible outcome... you never know, he could have been blown way off from his intended path and could show up on shore from the prevailing wind from whence he came. Those of us who have experienced such a misfortune all remember the abject feeling of hopelessness and dispair that we have visited on those we left behind, be they children, partners, parents or friends.
Even though the resources today are light years ahead of what we had years ago, it doesn't make the pain any less for those left behind or the terror any less who are living through it. God's speed, Jay... we are all pulling for you. Phil

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by BlackOak

All I can add to this is I hope where ever Jay is, he is enjoying himself and having a great adventure.

That is Jay, summed up! If he is out there, he is turning it into an adventure

Might be the seed for a new bestseller!

[boatman61]

Amen...

[AKfriend]

capngeo and H34, we want to express our deepest gratitude for all you have done and for being Jay's friends. As longtime friends of Jay's father and his deceased mother we are grateful for all the messaging on this forum, for that has been our best source of information during this devastating time. Thank you. You are good people.

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by AKfriend

capngeo and H34, we want to express our deepest gratitude for all you have done and for being Jay's friends. As longtime friends of Jay's father and his deceased mother we are grateful for all the messaging on this forum, for that has been our best source of information during this devastating time. Thank you. You are good people.

You are welcome, Jay has been a good friend. I passed my personal contact info on to Mike Z, if Jay's family needs anything here in KW, please don't hesitate to contact me.

[Wotname]

For Capngeo -
Thanks for being who you are......

[boatman61]

Wot he sed...
still hoping he just an inconsiderate ass...

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

... I think a little consideration for Jay's friends and family would be kind in these circumstances. There are people hurting badly at the moment and your wild speculations are not helping anyone.

Well said.

[Bluewaters2812]

My thoughts and prayers go out to Jay and his friends and family. Its times like this that we need to band together, drop any temptation to criticise or cast conspiracy theories and get on with the job of finding our lost sailing friend. We would all want our sailing friends to focus 100% on searching and rescuing us if we went missing. If you find me after I go missing and discover it was a prank or something nefarious, I give you full permission to do whatever you like to me. Please just find me or my wife first! I dont know what the currents have been doing as I am not familiar to the area. If there has been a wind from the North, North West or North East, depending on what the currents have been doing, he might be closer to somewhere between Sugarloaf Key and Boca Chica Key than one would expect? Anyone from the area know if there are prevailing currents in the area he went missing?

Perhaps organise a "mass sailing day" from the keys and fan out (sail for 30 miles or more before turning back). A long shot in a lot of water but some good sailing and camaraderie and heck, how nice would you feel if you were the one that found him?

[Bluewaters2812]

I see there is a current know in that area as the "Loop Current" but is this a surface current or a true deep current that works regardless of wind direction? Just not sure what the surface current would have been (set/drift) at this time? Anyone that can share?

[Boatguy30]

I may be incorrect on this, but I have transitted this area dozens of times. There is basically no current in a triangle between ft Jefferson, Tampa, and key largo. Sure, maybe a little bit say 1/2 knot due to tidal changes, but VERY little.

On a side note, check out the story of the Rose Noelle, 4 guys adrift for 119 days on a turtled trimaran. They washed ashore about 100 miles from where they capsized. I did read the book and the story goes they drifted in a large loop of some sort I believe. Anyhow, shows what is possible.

[Kettlewell]

There are articles up today on Keys News and Keys Net. For some reason, the Keys Net article has this line in it near the end: "Authorities haven't said if perhaps Rydberg just wanted to disappear."

Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Live-aboard still missing in Gulf
BY TIMOTHY O'HARA Citizen Staff
tohara@keysnews.com
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office has launched a missing persons investigation in the search for a Key West live-aboard boater.

After combing the Gulf of Mexico for three days, the Coast Guard called off its search for Jay Wesley Rydberg last week. The 40-year-old man, who is missing his right eye and often wears an eye patch, was last seen on his 39-foot trimaran sailboat, 3/4 Time.

Rydberg's sailboat had been moored in Man of War Harbor off Fleming Key. He told his live-aboard neighbors that he was going to the Dry Tortugas for a few days, neighbor Amber Wright said. But after he did not return, Wright said other fellow live-aboard boaters told her he actually had gone to Fort Myers.

Wright said Rydberg appeared to be an accomplished boater, and had a GPS navigation unit on his boat.

"We are very concerned," she said.

Rydberg's sister, Jill Lesseig of Fairbanks, Alaska, said he sailed from Key West to Fort Myers and was on the return trip last week. She told authorities he called her the morning of May 13 and sounded calm and relaxed. He said he would arrive in Key West Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin said.

At 4:13 a.m. May 14, the Coast Guard detected his Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and began a search. The EPIRB signal came from 33 miles north of Key West, but there were no signs of Rydberg or his vessel, Herrin said. The beacon went off in 3-foot seas and 20-knot winds, with no storms reported in the area, according to the Coast Guard.

Rydberg worked at "manual labor" but his sister Lesseig was not sure for whom. She said he was known to ride a bright red bicycle.

He is 5 feet, 11 inches, 170 to 175 pounds, has brown hair and eyes, and often wore a beard. He reportedly has scars on his abdomen.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff's Office at 305-292-7000. Major Crimes Unit Detective Manuel Cuervo is the lead investigator.

tohara@keysnews.com

Keys boater missing since May 13
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Posted - Wednesday, May 22, 2013 05:30 AM EDT

Jay Rydberg was last known to be in Fort Myers.
An Alaskan man living in Key West the past year has gone missing -- along with the 39-foot trimaran he was traveling on, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

Jay Wesley Rydberg, 40, reportedly was living on the sailboat in the Garrison Bight Marina. He'd moved to Florida from Alaska to be near his 11-year-old son, who lives in Lehigh Acres in Southwest Florida.

His sister, Jill Lesseig of Fairbanks, said he sailed from Key West to Fort Myers and was on the return trip last week aboard his boat, the 3/4 Time. She said he called her the morning of May 13 and was calm and relaxed. He told her he should be arriving in May 14 or 15, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Becky Herrin said.

At 4:13 a.m. May 14, the U.S. Coast Guard detected his Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, known as an EPIRB, and initiated a search that lasted 78 hours. The EPIRB was found 33 miles north of Key West but they found no signs of Rydberg or his vessel.

At the time the beacon went off, weather was blowing 20 knots and there were 3-foot seas. There were no reported storms in the area, according to the Coast Guard.

Herrin said Lesseig said Rydberg worked at manual labor but not sure for whom. She said he was known to ride a bright red bicycle.

Rydberg is white, 5-foot-11, 170 to 175 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He often grew a beard and has scars on his stomach and is missing his right eye. He reportedly often wore an eye patch.

Authorities haven't said if perhaps Rydberg just wanted to disappear. Anyone who knows anything about his whereabouts should contact the Sheriff's Office.

[Kettlewell]

Anybody heard anything new?

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Anybody heard anything new?

Only that his sister may come down from Alaska for some personal closure; I have offered to take her out to the posit of the EPIRB.

We've had no rain since the initial report, I fear we are now at about the limit of human endurance if he is adrift in the kayak. If the Tri has turtled and he can access the fresh water stores, perhaps there is hope.

H34 told me by phone today that he is setting out to that position in his boat, and is also going to inspect the nearby navigation tower for signs of a collision. He has dive gear aboard if he finds anything on his sounder. He is expecting to be back in KW Saturday. I expect he will update the thread then.