Missing Dingy in Miami Beach

[off-the-grid]

It's a 10' Walker Bay with a Honda 2HP, FL registration #17667668. Grumpy Guppy on the transom and on the motor.

I'm anchored just a few hundred feet South of Belle Island, dead center of the island. Based on the tide, my best guess is it drifted NW past the island. I was below deck working, and it was nowhere within site, when I came up and noticed it was gone.

Already contacted Coast Guard and left a message with marine patrol.

[Greg S]

Ouch, that really sucks! Hope it turns out OK for you.

[off-the-grid]

Thanks! Not looking good. Took I ride South last night, and saw nothing...unless it went out the inlet. Looking at the tide charts again, and guessing when it broke free, I'm once again thinking it went North.

And still no response from marine patrol. Not like I expect an S&R for a dink, but would be nice to know they at least got my message, and filed a report.

[pressuredrop]

any idea how the dink may have come off? i.e. painter around cleat but parted, painter off cleat completely?

[off-the-grid]

Still on cleat, but broke loose.

[ActiveCaptain]

Yikes! Sorry to hear about this.

Do you know for sure that it just came free? Are you sure someone didn't take it?

If it drifted away, what about that monument island just a little south and west?

If it went north, could it be jammed against another boat in that condo complex right there? That could put it out of view a little. There's surely space between those boats for a dinghy to float in.

[off-the-grid]

Happened in the middle of the afternoon. Wasn't a clean break, so definitely broke, not cut. Lessons learned. Check painter more frequently for wear. Always tie dink alongside mothership. I'm thinking those keep up rudders on the Gem, could be a good cause of chafe.

[Ram]

Sorry to hear about this- I had this same thing happen last year , I looked everywhere and could not find it- I sailed off and bought a new one in Athens- when I came back to (Santroni) It was siiting on a moreing, so I thought someone put it out there for me to pick up -so i took it =next day a guy came around and wanted it back! anyway i have 2 now,Good luck in finding it-I wonder if who ever finds it is legally allowed to keep it?

[s/v 'Faith']

I DO hope you get your dingy back....

I thought of the song 'Come back Dingy' by Eileen Quinn;


Well I climbed into the cockpit
Early one fine morning
Trouble took me by surprise,
Sent no warning;
Looking off the stern
For the dinghy I call mine,
All I could see was
A polypropylene line...
(E. Quinn, Come Back Dinghy)



Play song #29 on this page...

[sabray]

I had mine slip off outside annapolis the I didn't cleat it well. Called Md. DNR they called me back 1/2 hour later. Apparently it went for a sip at a club. Last spring it went missing off the dinghy racks don't know it got loose it turned up a week later at waterfront restaurant. DNR had the numbers and my phone number still on record from the first screw up. They called and I have it back. It went missing again this past summer. Turned up on a rack the other side of the boat yard. Some one borrowing it maybe or Im getting a litlle dinghy. any way there is hope.

[off-the-grid]

I found it! Myself. Tied at the dock right next to Miami marine patrol, where according to someone on the dock, it showed up yesterday hours before I even knew it was gone, and before USCG started making announcements over the VHF. Would be nice if the locals checked their voice mail on occasion or maybe monitored 16. Would have saved a lot of people a lot of trouble.

[ActiveCaptain]

[off-the-grid]

Thanks Jeff! I made a joke about this very thing yesterday. I actually said it probably ran right into their dock, if they'd only pick up the phone and let me know it's there.

[hellosailor]

Considering all the fuss about Homeland Security and Don't Leave Your Bag...I'm really surprised that anything could be tied up literally AT THE MARINE PATROL without someone checking the vessel and looking for credentials or an owner.

These days, strangers (aka taxpayers) aren't allowed within a hundred yards of an awful lot of places. I guess no one thinks the Miami Marine Patrol could be a target for anything, huh? I wonder if that gives them an inferiority complex....Or just makes them the only humans left in the game?

[off-the-grid]

Well it wasn't their dock, but it's RIGHT next to their dock. I was on the VHF. CG was making announcements, yet not a peep from marine patrol.

They'll probably show up now to question me about the stolen dink I have.