By Andy Boyle and Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writers
Thursday, August 26, 2010
REDINGTON BEACH — Authorities on Thursday began trying to tow an abandoned million-dollar yacht that ran aground as they struggled to unravel the mystery of how it got here.
The leads they were following all pointed to Mexico, where the owner said the yacht was stolen last week.
Arturo Millet Reyes told the Associated Press that the yacht was taken from a private marina on Saturday and that he reported the theft to police.
"I am was very worried about what had happened," Reyes, 43, told the AP. "My first concern was what they were going to do with the boat, if they were going to traffic drugs or something."
Reyes, 43, said the Mexican Coast Guard has been on the lookout for the yacht. Reyes owns the Mérida Fútbol Club, a professional soccer team which belongs to Liga de Ascenso, the second level of Mexico's soccer league.
Reyes bought the vessel from a Tampa man in 2008, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
The Sea Ray Sundancer was beached near 15648 Gulf Blvd. around noon Wednesday. Its motor was running and no one was aboard. The boat was travelling at 3 knots per mile on autopilot, authorities said. No sign of violence or damage was found, though four stereo speakers were missing.
Deputies searched the area, fearing someone might have fallen overboard. The U.S. Coast Guard assisted, searching farther offshore. Wednesday's search was called off in the evening because of bad weather and darkness.
The yacht, Making Waves, is based in Jupiter and has an expired Florida registration. But it has current Delaware registration and U.S. documentation. A Mexican flag was flying at the bow, with a U.S. flag at the stern.
But authorities have not found anyone who may have been aboard.
At about 1:30 p.m., workers started digging the boat out of the sand using a small bulldozer. A massive tow-cable was tied around the boat and attached to a tugboat a few hundred yards out in the water.
At 1:50 p.m., the tow-cable broke, eliciting an "oooh" from about 100 spectators. Workers then stopped trying to free the boat and to deal with the broken cable.
At about 2:30 the cable was reattached and a salvage company was prepared to take over. But the receding tide complicated matters. The boat's owner will pay the salvage company for its work, deputies said.
Times researcher Natalie Watson contributed to this report. Jamal Thalji can be reached at thalji@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8472.
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