Sailboat went off course into Algeria

[El Pinguino]

Paul, I think you should hand all this info on to Cyber Command ... they are the ones who know how to handle stuff like this.......

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Was I the only one to give my bank a/c details to the OP?... bugger...

[Paul Annapolis]

Cyber Command? I did a web search and all I could come up with was an action figure. I'll take your bank account numbers, and social security number but probably won't know how to use any of them. Wait, my tin foil hat is ringing again. It's cyber command...they need me on Planet x19...gotta go! How did they get my tin foil number? I disconnected one antenna and the other is only a fax line.

[SaltyMonkey]

MODERATOR: Please close this thread. The OP has closed the case and also requests the thread be closed. You're torturing me.

[Paul Annapolis]

Dear Moderator If this was a hoax, this forum has been compromised and misused. If it was not a hoax, then the forum has served a good purpose and all who responded with help should be respected-AND I WILL APOLOGIZE. I have made what I believe to be a reasonable attempt to show it is not legitimate and I am still trying to ascertain the facts--in the face of outrageous fortune you might say and while trying to keep a sense of humor and humility by saying that I might be wrong and will admit so. This is interesting and I think also important to make sure that hoaxes, if indeed this is one, do not occur again. It very well may have happened, so let's find out.
Members can reach any conclusion they wish, based on facts or based solely on faith or conjecture. If they are tired of this, they can disregard further postings. BUT--if it is a hoax, why would they be more interested in condemning me for suggesting and then trying to determine if it is a hoax than in the possibility that we might have been used and snookered? I am not trying to misuse this forum or abuse a person. Hopefully I will hear back from the UK and maybe the embassy but again, not being able to prove this was a hoax is a different thing than proving that it was real. Not proving a hoax will not necessarily mean it was real. A false positive and false negative are different things indeed. Let's get the facts and see.

[sck5]

Dear Paul annapolis

I have a suggestion for you. If you really want a legitimately odious target to flame in the boating world, I suggest the authorities in the state of Florida who seem to go out of their way to pass idiotic rules to harrass boaters.

I think you would get a round of applause from everyone on this board if you did.

Otherwise, perhaps you could take up knitting?

[Paul Annapolis]

Talk about going off thread. I'm not looking to flame anyone. You are more than welcome to do that as you choose making Florida your target or not. Anyhow, a quick look at the definition of "flame" in this context would strongly suggest that the shoe is on the other foot in this case. I'm not looking for a round of applause which should be obvious. Thanks for the suggestions of hobbies that might be of interest but knitting does not interest me. It might have were I still wearing that wool cap but I traded it in for the tin foil hat--remember?

[SaltyMonkey]

Please please MODERATOR, close this thread. I'll tell you everything you want! But, please no more!

[bobconnie]

Gee Salty, Connie and I have been getting lot's of laughs from this so called thread on a girfriends whereabouts!! Some folks have just got to be right ! Like my old daddy used to say "cut off their nose to spite their face" if it will show they are right !! LOL

[socaldmax]

Paul, have you called MRCC yet?

Why not? Afraid you'll get the answer you don't want to hear, and have to apologize?

I'm as skeptical as the next guy, but what did the OP have to gain from this supposed hoax? Just to waste your time on a wild goose chase? Seems like you have nothing better to do, that's for sure.

[Ron Rico]

Originally Posted by arcticcatmatt

Wow.. Why the need for this? Why would someone think this is fake? Look.. I moderate a snowmobile forum. I know forums can be very handy for assistance so it brought me to here. I have no idea about embassy's or MRCC or any of that, some of you provided that information for me. I never talked to someone at an embassy or whatever, it was the MRCC that gave me a hand and was able to find out their safety which was my soul intent.

Days ago she was skyping with me saying how much she loves me and misses me and doesn't want to go 7? days without talking to me but will have to as the sail to malta.. so to see it go off course to Algeria and not hear from her, is cause for concern. Better safe than sorry. It was a simple phone call.

Its an admirable quality to show concern for someone you care about, and even more noble when you act on that concern. God forbid something had happened and I didn't act on that concern out of fear of making someone mad.

No need for all this crazy analizing. I used some maritime website that shows all the vessels on a map. It also shows the wind and knots.. That is how I seen the wind there was 31-37 knots. Trust me, I have much better things to do with my time than getting on a sailing forum and making up a fake story wasting peoples time. Thanks again and I hope you all have a great weekend!

Moderator can feel free to lock this thread. It's served its purpose.

Yep. It's a scam. He's outta here and probably won't return. He's gotten one over on almost everyone. He musta known there were one or two he could not fool, and the sly devil figured out if he told the mods to lock 'er down, the hook would be set on all those fools. Now he's gonna steal their booty!

If it really was "bogus. Phoney. Fake. Fraudulent. Sham. Deceptive. Spurious. BS. Sea stories. Yarns. Apocrypha", why would he even return to post that?

Originally Posted by Paul Annapolis

....I knew someone would suggest I contact the UK and was already working on that for verification. I am not afraid of the truth and am doing my best to get the facts and as I said, I may be wrong. And if I am, I will post as such.....

Really? You're so uptight about this you're doing your own investigation? And, if you're right, so what? Will you come on and say 'nah nah nah nah nah nah' told ya so? What good will that do? There won't be enough room on the forum for anything but your ego. WTF dude, who really cares but you? Sweet Heyzus, let it go.

Thank (insert your diety here) is watching out for us poor, dumb fools on the forum who, instead of acting quickly to provide some help and guidance 'just in case it might be real', want to bring back the inquisition before he actually posts some useful information to help a guy out. Oh wait....that wasn't you. You didn't post any useful information. That was Atoll. Yes, I'm sure it was Atoll. Sorry Atoll, no offense intended, good on ya for doing what is good and right, the next shandy's on me.

Originally Posted by Paul Annapolis

And the Elvis thing was a false alarm. It was Jimmy Hoffa. (sorry about that one)

Nope...it wasn't Jimmy Hoffa. And E has not left the building. Yet.

Pura Vida!

[Paul Annapolis]

It's not about ego, having to be right or cutting off my nose at all. It's about really trying to understand this interesting event. And yes I have some time today as I am in between boating trips, doing some gardening, making some chowder, cleaning out the garage and preparing to give a talk to a sailing club--if you really must know. And no I am not afraid of being wrong--as I have written all along--repeatedly--if you bothered to read any posts! And yes I wrote to MRCC but don't have a reply yet. One poster asks me if I have done this and others make fun of me for investigating. No it's not about ego, saying nah nah nah--that's what others are doing and saying to me but if it was a hoax, I'm not interested in rubbing anybody's nose in it, but mine won't be cut off either--for what that's worth. I will post what I learn-if anything-in an honest and forthright manner if there is anything new and whether others believe me or not or want to poke fun at me or insult me is not my concern. Thank you.

[Ron Rico]

OK Paul. I hear you. You are personally interested in determining the veracity of the post and the person who posted. It means a lot to you. I get that.

But it seems that it really doesn't mean all that much to a whole lot of others here. There might be some, but they haven't piped up.

And so, what if it turns out to be fake? What do you think will come of it? I mean, do you think that you'll convince good people like Atoll to change? And by that, I mean changing from someone who quickly offers help when asked, freely and without judgement, to someone who wants to verify the veracity of the poster before extending a hand in goodwill? Or vilify them?

This only means something to you. Whether you are right or wrong, I don't really care. Whether the post was a fake, I don't care.

But I would really, really feel bad if your revelation of a fraud that happened on the interweb, makes a person like Atoll, and all of the members here who do try to help others, freely and without judgement, stop doing that.

Judge not, lest you be judged

Jus call me Capin Ron....everybody does.

Pura Vida!

Just a hunka hunka burnin' love.......

[Paul Annapolis]

Good points RonRico--Capin Ron...I hear you too! ...and I thank you for expressing yourself in a thoughtful and respectful manner. And I have already made appreciative and respectful comments for those that have tried to help So I certainly agree with you. I too have tried to offer helpful advice to folks on here when appropriate and Atoll has been a terrific asset here to everyone. I'm done here unless I find something new or enlightening...(ok everyone breathe a deep sigh of relief...) which I will share--even if it means I was wrong... ! Thank you.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Paul Annapolis

Cyber Command? I did a web search and all I could come up with was an action figure. ....

maybe you tiped it rong in yer such unjun....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United..._Cyber_Command

[chuckr]

paul -- very impressed on your weather for malta -- BUT unfortuately while they were headed for Malta they were near Algeria which is about 250-350nm or more from malta and 125nm south latitude from malta -- if you saw the low it came in from the wnw and proceeded across southern sardina and sciliy and is currently just off the boot of italy

now if you were to use that logic for sailing the cheaspeake you would be using the forecast of newport ri or say cape hatteras for the weather conditions in the cheaspeake --

i will refrain from my other comments or what the admiral thought of your wx posting - she got a chuckle out of it